


The People's King

by orphan_account



Series: AH Kings Verse [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: -chanting- lads day lads day lads day, Best Friends, Blood, Blood Magic, Dissociation, Flashbacks, Gen, Jeremy is the new kid on the block, Kidnapping, Kings AU, Magic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Character Death, Platonic Relationships, Rating May Change, again minor but it. does happen so, alternate title of this was jeremy 'accidental king' dooley, animal death mentioned but not shown, anywho, fiona 'bde' nova and lindsay 'wildcard' jones are very fun to write, friendshiiiiip - Freeform, how many inside jokes can i make into serious stuff? read and find out, in this au we got MAGIC and TECHNOLOGY, its also HEAVILY based on skyfactory stuff, magic dreams, magical ceremony, minor but still. Trauma-based so, thats always fun right?, timeskips of various amounts of time here and there, using magic to drug someone, why YES i am pushing both my jeremy dooley and matt bragg appreciation agendas, why didnt i tag that before???
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 08:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21966262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Ever since the very first sparks of rebellion had begun to ignite kindling across the land, Jeremy knew that leadership would not be easy.After helping lead small pockets of rebellion all over Achieveland, Jeremy is crowned king of his very own kingdom and given the nickname "The People's King". This story chronicles the events that come after, whether they are good, bad, or downright horrifying.(All chapters are more-or-less chronological unless said otherwise, but many don't come right after one another.)
Relationships: Jeremy Dooley & Gavin Free & Ryan Haywood & Michael Jones & Jack Pattillo & Geoff Ramsey, Lindsay Tuggey Jones/Michael Jones, Matt Bragg & Jeremy Dooley
Series: AH Kings Verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1609069
Comments: 42
Kudos: 52





	1. The Letter

Ever since the very first sparks of rebellion had begun to ignite kindling across the land, Jeremy knew that leadership would not be easy. 

Leadership was a balancing act, treading the line between what had to be done and what the people wanted while navigating the treacherous terrain that called itself politics. It wasn’t something most thought about when organizing an uprising, not in-depth at any rate, but Jeremy had seen one too many squashed insurrections to not know better.

Of course, when one proves themselves invaluable as a leader and advisor, one is usually expected to lead. That was something Jeremy had forgotten at the time, to focused on leading the people of the kingdoms to realize that they had come to see him as, well… _Their_ _own_ king.

And so, with a chunk of land awarded to them from The Mad King’s domain, an uprising successful, and a surprisingly substantial amount of resources, Jeremy was crowned “The People’s King”. 

Jeremy didn’t want to seem ungrateful, but in all honesty, he  _ hated _ it. He didn’t  _ want _ to be king, he didn’t  _ want _ to continue leading the people. When he had begun to spearhead the discontent mobs of peasants, he had only done it so that they (himself included) would finally have the respect they deserved. He did it because he was tired of working for thrones who had all too often forgotten who they represented, or that not all people were able to live as they did. 

He didn’t do it for his own thirst for power. He didn’t do it so that he could be told what kings are meant to do, how they are meant to act (How many damn forks did someone even  _ need _ ? It was just excessive!). He didn’t do it so he could sit back in the heart of his fledgling kingdom, giving orders and writing laws that affected people who he hardly saw in person anymore.

He had done it because it needed to be done,  _ action _ needed to be taken.

Being a king was 90%  _ inaction _ , and it was really starting to get to him. He felt lightning under his skin, itching and chafing, telling him to go out, do _something_. He wanted to go forth and adventure into the unknown once more, not caring if he returned or not. He wanted to do _many_ things.

But, he was a leader, and as much as he  _ wanted _ to, he couldn’t. His people needed him, especially in such a fragile state. He couldn’t let all he built be torn down so easily, he had to reinforce it, strengthen it, make it so that, if something  _ did _ happen to  _ him _ , his kingdom would continue on.

In fact, he had been  _ so _ busy working on plans to beef up their infrastructure that he hadn’t even noticed the young person enter his chamber until they cleared their throat, startling the king. 

“Oh,” Jeremy said, hoping that he didn’t look as embarrassed as he felt “Sorry. I didn’t see you come in. What can I do for you?”

The messenger, obviously unnerved, fidgeted slightly before digging around in their bag, frantically looking for whatever it was they were meant to deliver to Jeremy, as if their life depended on it. That was another thing Jeremy hated about being king: anybody who hadn’t known him before were either in awe of him or  _ afraid _ of him. He didn’t know  _ what _ kind of rumors circled around the other kingdoms, but if they left young messengers afraid of giving him his mail and young men and women asking him to bless them (as if he were a mage, or a cleric), they weren’t the kind of rumors Jeremy wanted floating around.

“Relax, kid,” Jeremy said, turning around slowly, his hands raised in a surrender position “Take your time. I’m not gonna get angry just ‘cause it took you a minute to find my message.”

The messenger seemed to ease slightly at the assurance, but still made rather quick work of shuffling through their bag before finally pulling out a single letter with an orange seal pressed into it. Jeremy took it, looking at the ornate seal, recognizing the crown on the emblem to be that of King Ramsey, The First King (And, to some of the more bitter followers from the rebellion, The Stagnant King) .

(Sometimes, Jeremy caught himself wondering just how many titles he would earn as King, or if he would simply be “The People’s King” for all time.)

“Thank you,” Jeremy said quietly, so he wouldn’t spook the poor kid “Do you need compensation, a place to stay, anything like that?”

The messenger tilted their head slightly, a lack of understanding shining in their eyes. Jeremy knew that the other kings, while not  _ perfect _ by any means, weren’t heartless. They paid their staff and kept them safe. Why was the kid confused?

Oh,  _ right _ .

“Oh, uh, Compensation. It means like, get paid.”

The messenger beamed up at him, a small giggle erupting from their mouth as they nodded. Jeremy couldn’t help but smile back, eager to help.

“What can I do for you, kiddo? Gold? Food? A place to stay? Whatever you need, I’ll do what I can to get it to you.”

As the messenger slowly pulled out their nearly empty coin pouch, Jeremy nodded, taking a rather large handful of coins from his own pouch and putting it in, laughing as he saw the kid’s eyes widen further before gawking up at the king. Jeremy simply ruffled their hair.

“Alright, get going. Try not to travel while it’s dark, though! We don’t have many paths set up yet, so you may need to stay somewhere during the night, or get someone else to escort you wherever you’re headed next.”

The messenger nodded before bolting out of the room, and Jeremy released all the air from his lungs in a heavy sigh as he looked at the still-sealed letter. The orange wax was emblazoned with King Ramsey’s crown, a simple thing that somehow managed to  _ still _ exude royalty, two chicken feathers sprouting behind it triumphantly with an egg in between them, as if the images could serve as wings and a halo for the crown. It was a somewhat strange design to some, but having seen that kingdom’s wilds and farms, it made perfect sense to Jeremy.

That king  _ really _ enjoyed chickens, to the point where he managed to create ones that could create  _ materials _ out of  _ thin air _ . Plus, there was a certain symbolism behind it, the old “Chicken or egg” question, the birth of something new that would in turn create more new, etc.

With another soft sigh, Jeremy decided to forgo the use of that  _ stupid _ letter-opener he had been given after being crowned and snapped the wax apart, opening the letter up to read. His eyes scanned it once. Twice. Three times.

“You have  _ got _ to be fucking kidding me.”

\---

_ Dear Newly Crowned King Dooley, _

_ Welcome to the ranks of nobility, adventurer! I’m sure that a man of your history and prowess is sick to death of all the pomp and circumstance we use around the public, and to be honest, so am I, so let's cut to the chase: _

_ While some inter-kingdom traditions are bullshit (like the Towers of Victory) or an excuse for us to dick around (The Kingdom Games), there’s a few we do take seriously. You’ve already taken care of most of them, but there’s two in particular you have to do. _

_ First is The Banquet. This is one that everyone knows about, where all us kings get together for one whole month, eat together, live together, and have the whole land sing songs of peace and blah blah, you know that. We both know it's coming up, and, as always, I’m hosting it. You have to come, otherwise, well… It’s kind of a dick move, you know? _

_ Second is The Vow. I’ll explain it in person, but this is probably one of the most important traditions we have, so please don’t be late to The Banquet. _

_ Sincerely Yours, _

_ King Geoff Ramsey _

\---

“Soooo,” Matt said slowly, looking up from the letter “You’re pissy because you got invited out for dinner?”

“Matt--”

“I’m just sayin’, sounds like a pretty good deal to me. You get to finally get out of the castle, spread the word about our kingdom,  _ and _ eat free food. That’s like, heaven.”

“ _ Matt _ \--”

“You think they’ll have donuts? I remember going to the festival once, this one vendor dude had the  _ best _ donuts. The  _ best _ . Hey, think they’ll let you bring a plus one, because if so, I’m totally--”

“Matt,  _ please _ ,” Jeremy said, raising his voice slightly and finally cutting Matt off “I’m  _ pissy  _ for two reasons: One, there’s still a lot of  _ shit _ I need to do so this kingdom doesn’t fall apart during this stupid celebration and  _ two _ , I have no  _ fucking _ idea what this ‘Vow’ is. There’s no record of it anywhere! It’s freaking me the  _ fuck _ out!”

“Maybe they’re hazing you,” Jeremy’s former guildmate offered “Like back when we first joined the Hunter’s Guild. They’ll have you do some stupid or gross shit in private, laugh about it, then welcome you to the secret king club.” 

“As much as I wish that was true, I don’t think it is, Matt.”

“Then what  _ do _ you think it is?”

Jeremy didn’t know how to respond to that. All he knew was that he had a  _ bad _ feeling, although it wasn’t the first time he had felt something like that. Many a bitching session was had by Matt back during their guild days about Jeremy “No Fun” Dooley telling him not to touch something, or to not go a certain way, or a number of other things, but Jeremy had grown up learning to trust his instincts, through both tradition and experience. He _knew_ when something fucky was going on, or when it was about to happen.

Of course, Matt grew up in a very different place, one where instinct was overruled by logic. Despite Matt’s tendency to break the traditions of his home kingdom, that was one he liked to stick by.

“If you say you have a bad feeling about it, I’m  _ going _ to defect back to King Ramsey’s kingdom.”

“It’s not  _ defection _ anymore, technically. You’d just be immigrating back.” Jeremy retorted, trying to change the subject as subtly as possible. If Matt noticed, he didn’t say anything, giving a sharp bark of a laugh.

“Okay  _ asshole _ , fair point.”

“You know, the more you say shit like that, the  _ less _ inclined I am to bring you.”

“Okay,  _ one _ , like you’d bring anybody else, considering you don’t have a proper court aside from me yet, and  _ two _ , with all due respect  _ your majesty _ , go fuck yourself. I’m getting those donuts one way or another.”

It was Jeremy’s turn to laugh, soon accompanied by Matt’s laughter once more. It was nice, the two of them sharing the moment, as if it were the old days, as if Jeremy hadn’t had the weight of a whole kingdom thrust upon his shoulders. As the laughter died down, Jeremy looked up and down Matt.

The same place that seemed to always know when something was bad  _ also _ told him when something was a good idea, and it was fairly positive that taking Matt with him was a good move.

“Alright, you’ve made your point, but  _ please _ don’t start anything. I don’t want to accidentally ignite  _ another  _ war.”

“Oh come  _ on _ , we’re only going to a kingdom that hates  _ both  _ magic and technology to meet with  _ several  _ others that branded us as dangerous renegades and  _ only  _ gave you this land so you’d stop kicking their asses! What’s the  _ worst _ that 

“I  _ hate _ when you say that…” Jeremy groaned, setting off another set of giggles from Matt before the two parted to prepare for the trip.


	2. The Banquet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i. i dont know how this chapter got to be so much longer than the first one?? also i finished it at like 1 am, so if anything doesnt make sense? welp. it be like that sometimes.

The journey to Ramsey’s kingdom only took a couple of days, with them having to cross through a small patch of Haywood’s kingdom on the way there, though the terrain and conditions were nothing two former adventurers couldn’t handle. Jeremy and Matt used to have to make that trek at  _ least _ twice a year, oftentimes with even more stuff than they currently had on them, and, in the early days, without  _ horses _ .

Really, problems only arose once they actually got to the front gates of King Ramsey’s castle. 

The gates were open to all for the festival, as was tradition, so people filtered in and out freely, parting easily for the two men on horses as they strode forward. Jeremy had done his best to keep his eyes forward, but out of his peripheral view he could see people whispering to one another, others staring up in awe. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what they were likely talking about, and part of Jeremy wished he had taken up Matt’s offer of a spare cloak. 

As if sensing his friend’s unease, Matt cleared his throat to draw Jeremy’s attention towards him. Matt flashed him a comforting smile, accompanied by a nod, and Jeremy let out a breath. It was fine. He still had a bad feeling, but Matt helped ease it better than any drink could’ve. There was something from his past grounding him into the moment, and in a much more positive way than other things from his past could’ve. 

As they approached the castle, a simple but  _ extremely tall _ stone structure (the main tower practically a monolith of stone, supposedly built by Ramsey, Patillo, and a very young Free themselves), Jeremy managed to capture just a few whispers here and there from the nobility.

“ _ They say he led them to victory, that he held the other kings at swordpoint until they gave him what he wanted! _ ”

“ _ He’s so short, it’s hard to imagine him as the king of a whole kingdom, much less the one who led a rebellion to victory. _ ”

“ _ Quiet, he’ll hear you! _ ”

It took a lot of Jeremy’s willpower not to snap at the various comments, or give some dry but witty remark. He was a king, and doing that wasn’t exactly something a king should do. Not in such a public setting, at any rate.

Leadership was a balancing act between civility and steadfastness, a line much thinner than most would expect.

They brought their horses to the (thankfully quiet) stables, Matt offering Sugarcube and Timothy small treats for working so hard. Jeremy listened and watched in silence as Matt touched his forehead to Sugarcube’s, muttering in that language Matt always used when communicating with animals, or doing any sort of ritual or spellcasting. Jeremy had asked where Matt got the spells from before, but Matt had only shrugged, calling it “his own special brand” and leaving it at that.

That was fine, honestly. Jeremy tried not to think about magic  _ too _ much, it made his skin itch with memory.

From there, the pair entered the castle, escorted by a few of King Ramsey’s servants through the tall,  _ stair _ -filled structure to a pair of doors, side-by-side. Their bedrooms, they assumed, and knowing Ramsey, they were likely attached to each other for ease of access between servants and their kings. When Jeremy explained, Matt scoffed, offended at the implication that he was a  _ servant  _ and  _ not _ the king’s best friend. When Jeremy laughed at him, Matt fake-angrily stormed off into his own room, leaving Jeremy alone in the hall, staring that the door for a moment before entering the room he’d be staying in for the duration of the festival. 

Like many things in Ramsey’s kingdom, it was simple, but there were small things that made it seem fit for a king. A small changing area, a large rug covering the stone floor, a small chandelier serving as his source of light, an ornate wooden vanity, and there was even a bedside table with a small basket of various baked goods, a welcoming gift no doubt, while the bed itself was a queen, the covers and drapes around it obviously tailored to match the colors of Jeremy’s kingdom: purple, yellow, and orange. 

The only thing he loved more about the room than the bed coloring that the king likely had an ulcer over was the  _ view _ . There was one large window in the room, looking out into the horizon of Ramsey’s kingdom, so far that Jeremy could see  _ farmland _ in the distance as the sun slowly began to touch the horizon, changing the sky into a nice, soft blend of pinks, purples, and oranges. It was  _ breathtaking _ .

“I  _ know _ , right?” Matt’s voice pulled Jeremy from his gaze, though Matt still seemed fixated on it “I had only been this high up in the castle  _ once _ when I was a kid, and that was only because I was friends with one of the servants here and we snuck in. Never got to really see the view from one of the rooms, though. Not like this.”

“It reminds me of when I was a kid, too,” Jeremy said, turning back to continue watching the sunset as it slowly bathed the room in a golden glow “My mom always told me to be back by sunset, so that none of the ‘wild denizens’ would get me. Last thing I did every night was climb the  _ tallest _ tree in my village, just to watch the sunset. Always got in trouble for it, too.”

“That why you kept doing it?”

Jeremy smiled for a moment before turning back to Matt, mouth agape in faux offense.

“Are you, Matt Bragg, saying that I was a  _ trouble-maker _ ? A  _ rabble-rouser _ ? Why, dare I say, a  _ hooligan _ ?”

“I’m not saying you  _ were _ . I’m saying you  _ are _ .”

Jeremy scoffed, placing a hand to his chest and turning his nose upward, continuing to speak in his patented snooty-noble-with-a-stick-up-his-ass voice.

“Why, I  _ never _ ! Sir Bragg, I ought to cast you out from my  _ kingdom _ , much less my room, for such accusations!”

“But my  _ lord _ ,” Matt retorted, gleefully picking up his making-fun-of-stuck-up-nobles voice “Who would help you  _ bathe _ ? Or  _ dress _ ? Or do any sort of basic human function?”

“ _ Bah _ ! Who needs basic human function when I have  _ money _ and  _ land _ and  _ forks out the wahzoo _ ?”

The last phrase left the pair in giggle-fits, wheezing and collapsing onto their hands and knees. It would’ve been considered undignified to most, but Jeremy didn’t give two shits either way. Sure, he play nice and kingly when he had to, but when he wasn’t being The People’s King, he was just  _ Jeremy _ , and Jeremy made stupid jokes about the traditions and opinions of nobility that he laughed at.

As the laughter finally died down, Jeremy realized that the sun was now almost fully gone, only a sliver of it remaining on the horizon, and his smile slowly faded. It was officially the first night of The Banquet, and that meant that, very soon, he and Matt would need to slot themselves into their “proper” roles as they dined with the other kings and their servants. 

The realization seemed to slowly dawn on Matt as well, and soon he was frowning too.

“I’ll… let you get ready, your majesty,” Matt said, getting up and moving back towards his room “Let me know when you’re done.”

“Alright…” Jeremy said quietly, biting off the  _ please don’t call me that _ he wanted to add on. The wooden door between their rooms slowly creaked shut, and Jeremy stared out the window at the sky where the sun used to be, watching as its rays slowly receded, chased away by the dark indigo of the night, only broken up by the small pinpricks of stars and the ever-silent, ever-changing moon. 

With a steadying breath, he also stood and began to change out of his traveling gear (simple but effective armor, mostly leather and chain), unpacking his formal clothing from the small pack. 

Another thing Jeremy couldn’t understand about nobility was they way they loved to  _ dress _ . Where Jeremy was used to more, well,  _ useful _ and  _ economic _ clothing, it was obvious that the nobility had no need for that sort of thing. Their clothes were annoyingly intricate, made with shapes and baubles that would get caught on just about anything and everything in the wilds, especially the damn  _ capes _ . Although, for all their flaws, Jeremy had to admit one thing: being able to wear the obnoxious colors he loved in all their horrible glory was  _ great _ , even if he had to wear constricting,  _ annoying _ clothes to do so.

His current “fancy” outfit was as close to a favorite as he could get: A light purple long sleeve with those  _ annoying _ puffy shoulders that the nobles  _ insisted  _ on with a dark purple vest over it, orange accents popping on the darker garment. He also had a pair of yellow pants, the cuffs of which were swallowed by (rather plain, thankfully) brown boots, and a cape that looked almost as if he had taken the sunset from earlier, added some fluff to the outline, and slung it across his shoulders. And, of course, there was his crown. 

Well, crown was a bit of a  _ loose _ term. It was a plain, solid copper circlet that fit just  _ perfectly _ onto his head, the front of it signified by a small dip in the design pointing down towards his nose. It was, compared to the other kings, a pretty pitiful excuse for a crown, but it was what he had until he could get a proper one, whenever that would be.

Besides, having a proper crown would  _ truly _ make him a king, and he couldn’t help but  _ not _ want the further the alienation he was beginning to feel between him and his people, or his friends for that matter. 

Speaking of… 

After taking a look at himself in the mirror, he made his way over to the door to Matt’s room, knocking on it. Matt answered it almost instantly, as if he had been waiting by the door to do so.

Matt had also changed, though not as significantly as Jeremy had. His own leather and chain had been traded out for a simple yet formal outfit: a red long sleeve with a black vest over it, leather arm and shin guards, red and black pants, and, like a security blanket, his red cloak, fastened together by a purple, orange, and yellow gemstone broach that Matt himself had conjured. Jeremy could also see Matt’s bag still slung across his shoulders, ready to use its contents at a moment’s notice.

Matt’s preparedness for the worse made Jeremy feel a bit better about his lack of, well, pretty much anything useful. He felt naked enough without his armor, but without even a  _ single _ weapon on him (save for a small emergency dagger hidden in one of his boots), he may as well have been shouting “murder me! I’m here to get murdered!”.

(Okay, so maybe it was safer inside the castle than out in the wilds, but Jeremy was, and always would be, an adventurer, and some habits were harder to kick than others.)

“You look absolutely fucking ridiculous, you know that right?” Matt asked, evidently keen on getting one more jab out on his friend before he had to become his king. Jeremy snorted a laugh, throwing a mock punch at the taller man’s arm.

“Oh,  _ fuck _ you. Come on, let’s not keep their majesties waiting, huh?”

\---

At first, interacting with the other kings was, unsurprisingly, tense.

Jeremy wasn’t the last to arrive to the first night’s banquet, but he also wasn’t the first. With the announcement of his and Matt’s names, the doors to the dining hall swung open, and Jeremy  _ instantly _ saw three pairs of eyes watching him.

One set belonged to the cool and calculating King Haywood, The Mad King, another to the softer but equally untrusting King Patillo, King of Growth and Shelter, and the third to The King of The Wilds himself, Mogar the Warrior King, otherwise known as King Jones.

They all took their seats, the “plus-one” members of their courts sitting by them and talking with them in hushed tones. It took Jeremy and Matt only a glance to realize one thing: the kings weren’t even talking to  _ each other _ . Not yet, at any rate. Jeremy didn’t know if this was a good sign or a bad sign, opting to instead take a sip of the mead in his goblet, making sure to order water for Matt.

“Your majesty, come  _ on _ , I can handle my liquor!”

“Last time you had  _ royal-level _ mead, you nearly  _ burnt down _ the stables of our base.”

“That was  _ one _ time!”

“We lost  _ two _ horses, Matt.”

“And I  _ still _ feel bad, but I still don’t think that disqualifies me from having this mead.”

“Matt,  _ please _ behave.”

“I  _ am _ behaving! I just want some mead, Jeremy,  _ please _ .”

Before Jeremy could argue further, the announcer cleared his throat, and everyone turned to see who would walk through the door next.

“Now announcing the arrival of King Gavin Free, King of The Free and King of Fools, as well as his plus-one, Miss Fiona Nova.”

King Free strode in as if he didn’t have a care in the world, a beautiful young woman trailing in with almost  _ more _ chaotic energy than the king himself had. Jeremy vaguely recalled meeting King Free once, back when he had been no more than the prince of Ramsey’s kingdom, and then again when the treaty was being signed. Part of Jeremy was rather glad that he hadn’t lost his chaotic aura, but that small voice in the back of his mind kept citing his unpredictability as an  _ issue _ , as if they were still at war with each other.

“So, we’ve got pretty much everyone here  _ but _ our host now, right?” Matt asked, pulling Jeremy from his thoughts as he watched Free and Fiona sit down “Kinda weird, right?”

“It’s not, unfortunately,” King Patillo said, sighing softly “This has happened every year since Ryan gained the mad king title. That fucker’s always  _ late _ .”

“ _ Seriously _ ?” Jeremy asks, unable to stop himself “The guy invites us all here for dinner at  _ his _ own place and is  _ late _ for it?”

“Right?” King Jones chimed in “Asshole has the gall makes  _ us _ wait for  _ his _ sorry ass, meanwhile I’m fuckin’  _ starving _ because I haven’t eaten since like, dawn!”

“Dawn? Try  _ last night _ . I didn’t have any time to eat this morning because I woke up later than I meant to.” Patillo said, and it made Jeremy’s stomach rumble as he realized he  _ also _ hadn’t eaten since last night. King Haywood let out a dark-sounding laugh.

“Oh you guys and your _hunger_ . I can just turn off my need for food whenever I need to.”

“Ryan, what, and I say this in the most polite way possible, the  _ fuck _ .” Jones replied, causing The Mad King to go into what Jeremy could only describe as  _ giggle fits _ , which was  _ weird _ , because “Mad King” and “Giggling” didn’t go together in Jeremy’s mind. Based on the look on Matt’s face, it didn’t for him either.

“I think, while we wait for our King Knobhead, we let the new guy over there know a couple things about us. Break the ice a bit, you know?”

“Like how you have a secret trophy room in your castle where you keep the victory towers from the kingdom games you’ve won?” Haywood asked, deadpan, causing Matt to do a spit take next to Jeremy.

King Free let out an indignant sound that could really only be described as a squawk as the entire table dissolved into laughter. It struck Jeremy strange at how  _ quickly _ the tension had dissolved between them, as if there were no bitterness over a lost war or lost land. He also enjoyed how  _ loose _ they seemed to be in private compared to when they were out and about with their subjects. Sure, they were all dressed in their nicest clothing, gleaming crowns atop their heads, putting Jeremy’s circlet to shame, but they were  _ relaxed _ , talking like friends, using  _ first names _ .

It was a nice change of pace, and it almost reminded Jeremy of the old gatherings the Hunter’s Guild used to hold. It left Jeremy feeling more relaxed than he had been since becoming king.

As the laughter died down, the announcer cleared his throat once more, and everyone turned to see who it was, although they all already knew.

“Now announcing King Geoff Ramsey, The First King, Host of The Banquet. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, his plus one is unable to join us for dinner, but Sir Collins has asked me to give you his regards.”

The final king, at last, strode into the hall, regal and powerful, but somehow also maintaining a simple and welcoming atmosphere around him. Perks of being a king of a kingdom like his for so long, Jeremy supposed, and he briefly wondered what kind of energy he would begin to give off as time went on. Would it be as though he were another man, or would he end up being cold and aloof, having lost his way and becoming undeserving of his title?

Those thoughts were a bit of a buzzkill, so he stored the worries away for later, instead opting to focus on King Ramsey himself as he stood at the head of the table.

“Alright everybody, welcome to the first night of The Banquet! I’m glad  _ everyone _ was able to make it, especially the newest kid on the block: King Jeremy Dooley, The People’s King.”

Everyone at the table applauded, Matt briefly interrupting his to give Jeremy a pat on the back in celebration. Jeremy felt his face flush for a moment at all the attention and praise, but kept himself composed otherwise, smiling at everyone as he spoke.

“Happy to be here, never thought I’d be sitting at a table with royalty without some sort of job contract.”

“Hey, you’re one of us now, buddy, for better or for worse.”

“I’ll take better, thank you.”

That managed to get a laugh out of the others, and Jeremy felt rather proud of himself for it.

“Hey, I’m sure everybody can drink to that, buddy. Speaking of,” Ramsey raised his goblet of water into the air “A toast! To unity, friendship, and all that other fairytale bullshit.”

A chorus of agreements rang out across the table, everybody clinking goblets together and drinking from there in celebration. As it died down, Ramsey placed his goblet on the table, and, with a loud clap of his hands, sat.

“Alright! Now, let’s eat. I’m hungry as  _ dicks _ , you guys don’t even  _ know _ .”

\---

Matt was surprised at just how much he had enjoyed himself, truth-be-told. He had expected the dinner to be tense and uncomfortable, filled with awkward silences and accusing glares, but the closest it got to that was when Ryan had made some remark about magic, and Michael had made a retort about technology, and Matt was  _ fairly _ sure a fight would’ve broken out if Gavin hadn’t spilled his drink into his lap. 

Other than that, thought, it had been a fairly nice dinner. It was no Hunter’s Guild gathering, but it was obviously close enough for Jeremy to relax. Matt was glad, since he had been worried that the poor guy’s heart was going to implode if he got any more stressed than he already was at home. It was also evident that the beginnings of  _ trust _ and  _ friendship _ were stirring, which was good, considering that he was sure  _ nobody _ wanted another war on their hands, even if they were sure they could win. 

In the end, Matt had been surprised at how much he had enjoyed it, but he wasn’t surprised when Jeremy told Matt to go ahead and get some rest when the other kings had called Jeremy over to discuss something in private, probably some king bullshit that Matt wasn’t privy to.

Was Matt a bit bothered by not knowing? Maybe, but it didn’t really matter. He was full, he was tired, and he had gotten to know the other “plus-ones” that had been at the dinner: Alfredo Diaz of Jack’s Kingdom, Lindsay Jones, Michael’s Wife and the Queen of his kingdom, and Fiona Nova of Gavin’s kingdom.

With the night’s festivities over, his social quota met and his exhaustion hitting its peak after climbing the stairs of Geoff’s castle, Matt all but toppled into his bed once changing into his nightclothes, not even having half a mind to wonder where his own king had gone off to.

\---

When Matt dreamt, he rarely remembered it. Sometimes he’d get feelings, a soft sense of deja vu or the distinct feeling that  _ something _ had happened, but never fully. It was all smoke and whispers, ghost touches and phantom soreness. 

At least, that’s how it was while he was awake. His dreams? His dreams  _ always _ remembered.

In the dream, he woke up on a grassy cliff overlooking the ocean, a location he had been guided to the night prior. His guide, a small, winged creature that was rather vehement about  _ not _ being a pixie, flitted and fluttered around him, urging up with a sense of grim urgency. 

With a soft groan, Matt got to his feet, brushing off the light layer of dust that had accumulated on him while he had been awake. Asleep? Whatever the case, it was  _ gross _ and  _ always _ there as soon as he started dreaming, and, to be frank, he was starting to get  _ real _ annoyed with his mind for doing that,  _ especially _ since his mind  _ insisted _ on making him wear baggy, stupidly comfortable, white clothing and his red hood. On the bright side, it dusted off pretty quickly most of the time, so he was able to get that done before following the not-pixie to the safest part of the edge of the cliff.

“Wow,” Matt said, looking down into the churning multicolored water “That looks  _ awesome _ . What exactly am I looking at?”

The not-pixie didn’t answer (though, really, nothing ever did answer him when he was dreaming, which was, frankly,  _ rude _ ), but as Matt watched the waters, he got an idea. 

In various places, random whirlpools would open and close, turning the color of the water within it to a solid one, ranging from green to blue to purple to  _ yellow _ , which Matt had to force himself not to make a joke about. He began to get a feeling that he knew  _ exactly _ what it represented, somehow. That was just how it was in his dreams, he just…  _ knew _ things.

“That’s magic, isn’t it? I know you won’t answer, but I’m  _ pretty _ sure that’s magic.”

Predictably, the not-pixie didn’t respond, instead flying beneath his bearded face to slowly lift his gaze ever-so-slightly  _ up _ . Matt stared at the sight of a  _ giant _ whirlpool forming for a moment, three colors swirling and churning together in that chaotic harmony that magic was well-known for. Three colors that were  _ all _ too familiar to Matt.

“Oh  _ shit _ ,” Matt swore quietly, watching as the purple and orange and yellow began to  _ finally _ calm, rejoining the rest of the churning ocean with a magnificent spray of magic and light “What-- What the  _ fuck _ was  _ that _ ? I swear to  _ every star in the sky _ , if Jeremy fucked with something he wasn’t supposed to--”

The not-pixie yanked on Matt’s ear, forcing him to yelp in pain and instinctually attempt to swat away his attacker, but the small creature was too quick for him. Instead of being offended or angry, as Matt had briefly been worried it would be, it got straight to his eye-level and pointed, panicked, towards the horizon.

In the distance, Matt could see a storm slowly approaching, lightning striking downward from and within the grey clouds, winds blowing so hard that even Matt could feel it, despite the distance. Whatever it was, whatever it  _ meant _ , it gave Matt the heebie-jeebies, his skin crawling and his stomach plummeting.

But, what did it have to do with the magic ocean? Or that  _ obviously _ Jeremy-created whirlpool of magical energy? Matt, not for the first time, wanted some  _ fucking _ answers for once, but knew he wasn’t going to get them.

He wasn’t even going to remember what he was looking at.

“You know, this is starting to get  _ really _ fucking annoying.” Matt grumbled, crossing his arms as he stared at the stormy horizon.

“I can imagine.”

Matt nearly jumped twice his height in surprise, not expecting the voice of another person (especially such a  _ weird-yet-normal _ voice), but before he could turn around, he began to feel the edges of his vision black out.

He fell to his knees first, as he always did, his heart rate picking up as it  _ very _ quickly became harder to breathe. Another thing he hated his brain for: When his dreams ended, it  _ fucking _ hurt.

“You humans really weren’t meant to be in a world like this for long, ‘least not until you’ve gotten your catalyst,” The visitor said, sounding both amused and sad all at once “Don’t worry, I’ll keep watch till you come back. Get some rest ‘till then, alright love?”

It was already getting harder to remember, harder to  _ think _ as his lungs  _ screamed _ for air that he couldn’t get, like he was drowning. He flopped onto his back, like a fish out of water. The visitor slowly came into view, staring down at him. Even without the shadows slowly overtaking his vision, the halo of light created by the sun above them made it hard to see who was there, but as he stared up, listening to the voice as it spoke in a language Matt no longer understood, Matt knew  _ exactly _ who it was.

“You-- You’re--”

\---

Matt nearly fell out of bed when the door to Jeremy’s room all but  _ slammed _ open, the shorter man gasping for air as if he had just run a marathon up all those  _ stupid _ stairs. Whatever he had been dreaming of vanished from his mind, only the distant impressions of wind and sunlight left.

Matt had to scramble to his feet, hand flying around his bedside table for his spectacles, all but shoving them on his face as he stared at his friend in the doorway, squinting in both confusion and anger.

“ _ Dude _ , what the  _ fuck _ ?” Matt whisper-shouted “What fucking time is it?”

“Late,” Jeremy said simply, but his voice was quivering with something that Matt could only describe as some weird mix between  _ excitement  _ and  _ worry  _ “Look, I’m sorry, but I had been knocking, and I  _ really _ just… I couldn’t wait until morning to show you this, alright?”

“Show me  _ what _ ?”

Jeremy made a soft little  _ squee _ of excitement, and Matt only realized at that moment that Jeremy had his hands behind his back. Of course, as soon as he realized it, Jeremy moved them to the front of himself, revealing--

“Holy  _ shit _ ,” Matt said, jaw dropping at the golden crown in his king’s hands “Is that-- Did the other kings--”

“ _ This _ , Matt,” Jeremy said happily, slowly raising the crown and placing it atop his bald head “Is  _ The Vow _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel i need to mention that treyco won't be a major recurring character in this fic, mostly just background, but he will be mentioned on and off


	3. The Vow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE shoutout to @rebel_raven for beta-ing this chapter and getting me to finally understand how dialogue works! woo!
> 
> this chapter goes back in time just a lil bit, and we get to see just what happened to jeremy, as well as a small moment afterwards.

Jeremy was _not_ a fan of being knocked out. 

Realistically, nobody was thrilled by the thought of it -unless they were suffering scholars and writers whose insomnia was acting up- but Jeremy had been knocked out _more_ than enough times to know that he _really_ didn’t like it. He also _really_ didn’t like it when someone he thought he could _trust_ did it, both because it was a dick move on the person’s part and because Jeremy was caught off-guard _every fucking time_. 

When the other kings had asked him to stay behind, his guard had been let down enough that he hadn’t thought anything of it. He had assumed it was something to do with the rest of their time together, about The Vow he had been told about, but _no_ , as soon as the servants left them all alone, Jeremy hadn’t had any time to react.

Arms held him back, covered his mouth as he kicked and screamed, and Gavin muttered a quick apology as he took something out of his bag, blew it into Jeremy’s face and then--

Jeremy’s eyelids were heavy as he woke, a headache splitting his brain in two as his skin tingled, the magic of whatever the hell it was that Gavin had hit him with slowly leaving his system. With a startled gasp, Jeremy’s body went into overdrive, years of dealing with ballsy bandits and fucked up cultists allowing him to snap himself out of sleepy haze.

At that moment, it was too dark to see _anything_. There could’ve been someone two inches from Jeremy’s face and he would’ve _never_ _known_. The thought sent a shiver up his spine, which was, evidently, touching a wooden chair of some sort. Jeremy tested his bonds, and let out a slightly relieved huff that it was just _ropes_ and not _chains_. The worst ropes did to Jeremy was a bit of ropeburn that he’d likely bitch about later to Matt, but chains?

Jeremy shivered again, forcing his mind to move on.

The ground beneath him was solid, like stone, but as he felt a soft breeze blow through the air, rustling the leaves of what he assumed to be the trees around him, he realized he was _outside_ , which was strange. Was he on some sort of stage? A sacrificial platform? A burnt-out house?

The answer was, evidently, none of the above. Out from the darkness, an orb of soft, gold light appeared, floating around Jeremy for a moment before resting just above his head, like a miniature sun, albeit without nearly as much heat. The radius of light slowly grew from a small spotlight until it was hitting the treeline that was apparently in front of Jeremy. In the shadows, he could just _barely_ make out the various silhouettes of five other people, and if it hadn’t been for the soft glint of gold on each of their heads, Jeremy would’ve been hard-pressed to figure out who they were. 

“Glad to see you’re finally up,” Gavin spoke first, “Was worried I had used ‘bit too much of that sleeping powder. Stuff like that is a pain in the _ass_ to get right.”

“If we had used my tranquilizer, it wouldn’t have been an issue at all.” That was Ryan, and he heard Michael scoff off to the side.

“Yeah, if we used _your_ stuff, and Jeremy would’ve been out for a fucking _week_.”

“Alright assholes,” Geoff cut in, ending the inevitable argument before it could begin in earnest, “Have your dick-measuring contest another time, we’ve got more pressing matters to attend to.”

As they all entered the stone-covered area, Jeremy had a million thoughts going through his mind at once, a million questions he wanted to ask, a thousand insults and accusations at the tip of his tongue, but the first thing that managed to get through his _stupid_ mouth, much to his dismay, was the absolute _worst_ thing he could’ve said.

“Oh my god, Matt was right. You _are_ hazing me.”

That earned a moment of brief, stunned silence before each of the kings had to try (and fail) to stifle their laughter. In most other situations, Jeremy would’ve been grinning and laughing along, but seeing as he had been knocked out, kidnapped, and tied to a chair in the middle of _who knows where_ , humor was kinda off the table.

“Holy fuckin’ _shit_ , dude,” Geoff managed to wheeze out, “That’s-- That’s the _funniest_ thing I think _anyone_ has ever said during this! I’m fucking crying!”

“Yeah, real hilarious. Sorry I’m not laughing along, being tied to a chair against my will _kinda_ makes it hard to.”

Jack managed to calm his laughter enough to give a look to Geoff, who simply waved his hand in a sort of “yeah, whatever” gesture, and Jack walked up to Jeremy and began untying him, talking as he did so.

“I’m really sorry about this, but it’s a precaution. We wanted to make sure that you wouldn’t just up and _bolt_ when you woke up.”

“Right,” Jeremy muttered, still sounding _extremely_ bitter, “That puts me _right_ to ease, Jack. Thanks.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Jeremy could see Jack fix him with the kind of look a parent would give their child when they were misbehaving. Part of Jeremy was startled by how well it worked, another part was becoming more and more aware of how _close_ he was to _finally_ being untied. He shifted his foot slightly and was relieved to find that they hadn’t bothered to take his emergency dagger-- he figured that they probably hadn’t even _looked_ for it.

The moment the ropes came loose and Jack walked back towards the others, Jeremy unsheathed the small blade, pointing it towards the others defensively. He had never been very _good_ with small blades, but he hoped he was good enough in case whatever the _fuck_ was going on escalated too much further.

“Answers,” Jeremy said, voice cold and commanding, “I want them _now_.”

“Jeremy,” Jack held his hands up in surrender, “Calm down and put away the dagger.”

“Oh, _fuck_ you. You fucking _nobles_ and your _stupid_ games, I’m _tired_ of playing them! Tell me what’s going on, you pompous asshats!”

Michael tensed up, a slight growl emanating from the King of The Wilds. Gavin stepped in front of him, though whether it was to protect Jeremy or to protect Michael, Jeremy wasn’t sure. Jack and Geoff both took a step back defensively, but the last king didn’t even _react_. Instead, he calmly looked down at the dagger, up at Jeremy, and spoke, his voice even and clear.

“If you’d look _behind_ you, I think it’d be a lot easier.”

“What?” Jeremy demanded, but the reaction only earned a directional nod from Ryan, simply signaling for Jeremy to do as he was told. 

Annoyed and on edge, Jeremy didn’t want to (who could really blame him, it was five against one, one used magic, one used technology, and one used _both_ ), but he wanted answers, so he gave a quick glance behind him. That turned into a double-take, and soon Jeremy turned his whole body to stare in awe at where he had been brought, nearly dropping the dagger from his hand. 

Open-air forges were something of a rarity, there were too many things that could go wrong, too many creatures or people who could destroy it, too many variables, more than most blacksmiths were willing to deal with. Jeremy, even during his time as an adventurer, had never seen one until that moment.

It was all made of stone, large, half-collapsed and mossy columns surrounding the center of it. In the center was a large, bubbling pool of _molten gold_ , shimmering with some sort of energy that made Jeremy’s softly tingling skin itch again, though not nearly as bad as it had been in the past. There were a couple classic smithing tools around, like an anvil and bellows, but they looked as though they hadn’t been used… _ever_.

A soft breeze blew through the stone-floored clearing, and Jeremy thought he almost heard music as it did. He hadn’t even realized he had been taking a step forward until Jack reached a hand out to stop him.

“Welcome to the Vowforge, King Dooley, The People’s King,” Ryan said, “As of today, you will _truly_ become a king.”

“What… What is all this?” Jeremy asked quietly, turning to look at the other kings once more, “What do you mean _Vowforge_?”

“I think I’ll let Geoff take it from here.” Ryan said, gesturing to the elder royal. Geoff nodded, stepping forward and slowly taking his crown off his head. 

“Right. Jeremy, when you look at my crown, what do you think?”

Jeremy raised an eyebrow in confusion, looking down at the golden object in Geoff’s hands. It was a normal crown, a gold circle with square cutouts, green and teal gems glittering softly in each of the highs and a small trail of feathers circling the entire bottom. It was so… 

“It’s simple,” Jeremy said finally, “Like everything in your kingdom. It’s nice enough to make it obviously expensive, but simple enough to keep with your aesthetic.”

“Wow. Got it in one, nice job. Took Gavin at _least_ three tries before _he_ got it.”

Gavin opened his mouth to argue, but with a single hand on his shoulder from Michael, he settled for pouting instead. Geoff took that as a sign to continue.

“Before I became king, there _were_ no kings. There were villages here and there, nomads who had no home, but nothing really had… _structure_ . It was _chaos_ , kid, absolute _chaos_ . Chaos has a tendency to get complicated, and when things get complicated, _more_ chaos happens. I was _sick_ of it. So, you know what I did?”

“You went to a fuckton of villages, banded them together, and created your capital city,” Jeremy replied, slowly sheathing the dagger back into his boot before crossing his arms, “Then you went and either annexed or conquered the rest.”

“Yup! _Someone_ knows their history.”

“My best friend was born in your kingdom, Geoff. I tend to know things about it.”

“Yeah well, you wanna know what you _don’t_ know?” Geoff asked, then, without waiting for an answer, “I didn’t do _any_ of that shit until _after_ I got this crown.”

“... _What_?” Jeremy was more confused than ever “What the fuck does that have to do with--”

“ _Everything_ , kid. This forge here? This shit’s _magic_ . I found this place when I was young, dumb, and full of life. It called to me, a lot like how it had called to you just now. Here, I made a vow to bring unity to the people of this land, to keep chaos from destroying it, to protect my people and keep things _simple_ . From that vow,” Geoff placed his crown back on his head, “The forge made _this_.”

“When you make a vow like that here, with full intent and power,” Jack cut in, “It pretty much creates a _physical_ version of that vow. A crown is a promise, Jeremy, one that every king makes and every king should keep.”

“When you break the vow,” Michael added, and Jeremy couldn’t help but notice that Michael was eyeing Ryan’s cracked crown. “It makes sure the whole _world_ knows. You can’t be a hypocrite, not when you’ve got so many people to take care of, to protect.”

“But… You’re _all_ hypocrites,” Jeremy said, “Your people _want_ change, they _want_ you to do things differently, to-- To do stuff that would probably end up breaking _some_ part of your vow! You can’t look at me and say that you’re putting some stupid self-piety thing above the wants and needs of your people.”

“We’re _not_ ,” Ryan snapped, “We’re doing what we _think_ is best for our people, Jeremy. I don’t pretend to be perfect, none of us do, but we do what we think is best.”

“What you _think_ and what the _people_ think tend to be different things, Ryan. I happen to _actually know_ that.”

“Which is why it’s so important for you to make a Vow,” Jack interjected before Ryan could argue, “They’re calling you ‘The People’s King’, Jeremy. You have to promise that you’ll _stay_ their king. They have to know you _mean_ it.”

“Nobody even _knows_ about The Vow, though. How would they know I made it?”

“Trust me, Jeremy,” Jack side-eyed Ryan as well, and this time the tech-savvy king looked away, ashamed. “They’ll know.”

Jeremy stared at them all, at their crowns, their _vows_ , and he felt _nauseous_ . He understood where they were coming from, he _really_ did. He hadn’t been king for long, but he had been a leader for some time, and he knew a thing or two about balancing what the people _wanted_ , what they _needed_ , and what _he_ thought was best for them. It was delicate, dangerous thing, one that the others hadn’t been doing great with for a while, in the eyes of the people.

How long before Jeremy ended up like that? How long before he broke his vow?

He couldn’t afford to think like that, not so _early_ during his time as king. He fought in the rebellion, _lead_ them, so that they could have a chance at something _better_ , and as their king, _he_ would be better. He had to be. 

Jeremy took a deep breath in, then, looking at the rest of the kings with a renewed fire in his eyes, nodded.

“I’m ready.”

\---

Jeremy was not one of the lucky few born with magic in his veins, nor was he one of the ones who had the patience or talent to learn it. It was an unfortunate thing for many, but even more having been born into a family _full_ of magic. Some part of him had always yearned for it, for the rush of power they knew, that exhilaration as they took chaos and bent it to their will, as they reached into other planes and brought forth abilities that he could only _dream_ of possessing.

It had led him down a path he never wanted to touch again, not unless under the most dire of circumstances. Magic left a bad taste in his mouth, made his skin itch and tingle with those memories of the man he had been before he became an adventurer, but he knew that only _one_ magic had been the one to blame, so he accepted all other kinds. 

He never thought he _himself_ would ever touch magic again, but as he looked into the swirling, bubbling pool of molten gold, as he felt the soft _pull_ of the magic, he wondered why he had ever been driven away from it.

As he began to speak his vows, he didn’t even _think_ , and the words flowed like a river from his mouth, cool and comforting against the heat of the pool in front of him.

“I am Jeremy Dooley, newest king of this land, and I’m called The People’s King. I fought a war alongside those I now rule and earned this title in their eyes,” Jeremy’s breath hitched and shuddered as a gust of wind hit him, stronger than the gentle breeze he had been feeling before, his entire _being_ buzzing with energy as he continued, “I vow to live up to that title. I vow to put the needs and wants of the people above my own, to discuss what those needs and wants are and do all that I can to help them. I vow…”

Jeremy paused, and it was if the whole universe was holding its breath, as if it were watching Jeremy stand at the precipice of his future, waiting for him to fall in, to either drown or swim. Jeremy’s heart was pounding in his chest, harder than it had in a long, _long_ time, the rush of the magic surrounding him in his kingdom’s colors intoxicating him, his heart and stomach yearning for the rush to last _forever_ \--

But nothing lasts forever. Jeremy knew that.

“I vow to be The People’s King, from now until my reign ends, whenever that is, and however it does.”

The magic was released, the colors of the magic slipping into the molten the molten pool in front of Jeremy, forming a neat circle. Before his brain could stop him, he reached into the pool, to take his Vow in his hands. It didn’t burn like he thought it would, it simply… _buzzed_.

As he pulled his crown from its molten home, the pool began to cool, solidifying into a dark obsidian material, as if it had never been filled with gold that held a power that few _dreamed_ of possessing. The Vow itself glowed so bright in Jeremy’s hands that Jeremy almost had to look away, but his eyes stayed glued onto the swirling sunset colors, gold and purple and orange marbling and morphing, taking its final form as it slowly cooled, as the magic continued to flow from Jeremy’s form. 

As the final vestiges of it left him, as the crown solidified in his hands, Jeremy spoke once more, not even realized he was until he was halfway through the phrase.

“I am Jeremy Dooley, The People’s King, and this is my Vow.”

All the swirling winds and magic suddenly seemed to _collapse_ around him, as if all the air had just been let out of a balloon. Jeremy stared down at the crown in his hands, glittering gold in the soft light of Gavin’s summoned orb.

It was still a circlet of sorts, though it was much thicker and _much_ more ornate than his previous one. Gold braided together to form the crown, intricate patterns curling and twisting like roots as they began to meet in the middle, holding a rather large ametrine gem in the center. Despite the materials of the crown, it felt light as a feather in Jeremy’s hands. It felt… _right_.

Jeremy himself, however, felt _exhausted_ . It was as if he had just been running nonstop for several hours, and he couldn’t help but sway and stumble as he tried to turn to the other kings. Jack and Michael were beside him near-instantly, supporting him on either side as best as they could. Jeremy wanted to thank them, but his brain was sluggish, the sudden intake and then expulsion of magical energy leaving his body and spirit exhausted. _Content_ , but _exhausted_.

Geoff and Jack’s smiles were fond, as if they were watching their own child reach an accomplishment that they had been waiting for. Gavin’s was giddy, Michael’s bright, and Ryan’s… _amused_ was probably the best word for it.

They sat Jeremy down in the chair as he slowly returned to himself, his new crown clutched firmly in his hands, its warmth helping comfort and ground him. He supposed he was a “proper” king, now, seeing as he had a crown (a Vow, a small voice reminded him), and while he still somewhat chafed at the thought of it, he found that there was now a sort of settled feeling that came along with it, like he found something he was meant to do.

It was the same kind of feeling he had gotten when he and Matt had been made full members of the Hunter’s Guild.

_Matt_.

“Oh _fuck_ ,” Jeremy said, standing up _way_ to fast for his spinning brain, “How late is it? How long have we been gone?”

Geoff blinked, shrugging as he looked to the others.

“It’s pretty late, I’d say most of the kingdom’s gone to bed already. Why?”

“Because,” Jeremy straightened himself out, adjusting his vest and cape as best as he could, “I have _got_ to show this to somebody, and I’m trying to figure out how angry he’d be if I woke him up in the middle of the night.”

\---

“Holy fucking _shit_ , Jeremy,” Matt said quietly, sitting just behind Jeremy as the king looked at himself with his new crown in the mirror, “That’s… _wow_.”

“I _know_ , right?”

“And it’s got like, magic shit?”

“Yeah, it does,” Jeremy muttered, “Hell if I know what kind, but whatever it is, it’s _old_.”

Jeremy had changed out of his outfit some time ago, so while the crown _did_ look cool, the _whole_ effect of it was somewhat ruined by the fact that Jeremy was wearing nightclothes, as opposed to his full “royalty” look. Still, Matt had to admit that it suited Jeremy just as well as the copper circlet that Matt was holding onto had, maybe even better. 

Still, Matt liked to think he knew Jeremy pretty well, considering how much they had been through together, and past all the euphoria and excitement, Matt could see Jeremy’s worry, his weariness and wariness. Jeremy had a history with magic, and while Matt never pried too much, he knew that, whatever had happened, it had left Jeremy all alone and worse for wear. Whether that was what Jeremy was worried about or not, Matt knew that Jeremy had been taking the whole king thing _way_ too hard, forcing himself to handle things alone, taking the responsibility on his shoulders alone.

Maybe that was how the other kings did it, Matt didn’t know, but that was never how he and Jeremy had done it before, and he wasn’t about to let that start now. True, there had been moments where he was hesitant to stick by Jeremy’s side, worried that his being a king would rift their friendship beyond repair, but Matt had slowly come to realize that was why he _should_ stay by Jeremy’s side.

Jeremy had to know he wasn’t alone, and Matt didn’t want to lose his best friend to whatever “Vow” he had made.

“Hey Jeremy, check it out,” Matt said, and Jeremy turned to look at Matt just in time to see him put the copper circlet on his own head. “Your crown’s cool and all, but just in case you get all tired of the magic bullshit, I’ll keep this warm for you, alright?”

It was a subtle gesture to be sure, and had Jeremy not been an adventurer before, the symbolism of taking up ones’ old armor would’ve been lost, but Matt knew that the king would understand what he was saying.

As the sun rose, filling the room with the first rays of dawn, Matt and Jeremy made their own vow, and while it wasn’t forged with magic and ceremony, it was enough for the two friends.

They had each other’s back, no matter what went down.


	4. Friends Like These

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: Tags have been updated! Please heed them! I'll try to remember to put trigger warnings before chapters that feature things heavily from now on, but I apologize in advance if I forget!
> 
> TW: Blood, Trauma-Based Flashbacks, Minor Dissociation, and talking about Past Character Death

“So, where’d you learn to pick a lock like that?”

Jeremy nearly jumped out of his own skin at Gavin’s sudden appearance, evidently having been too wrapped up in trying to get into  _ his own damn room _ to notice the older king sneak up behind him. It took Jeremy a moment to realize he had been asked a question, and he turned to face Gavin so he could answer it properly.

“Oh! Well, any adventurer worth his job knows how to pick at least a  _ basic  _ lock. You’d be surprised how often you need to do that sort of thing.”

“Really?” Gavin leaned up against the wall next to Jeremy, looking down at Jeremy with that expression that always seemed to read both amused and intrigued. “What sort of stuff do you adventurers get up to that needs lock-picking?”

“Oh, you know,” Jeremy awkwardly laughed out, shrugging as he refocused back on his task, “A lot of the job hazards we face end up calling for it. Like, sometimes we get caught by the bandits or whoever we’re trying to take down, and we have to lockpick our way to freedom. Some jobs in general call for it too, like if we need to break into some old, abandoned mansion or whatever and take something from it.”

“Huh. Didn’t know you could hire adventurers to  _ steal _ things for you.”

Jeremy fumbled with his tools for a moment, thanking every deity in existence that they didn’t break as he did. He turned to look up at the other king, not caring about how annoyed he must’ve looked.

“Did you miss the bit where I said  _ abandoned _ mansion, or are you willfully ignoring it to try and piss me off?”

Gavin gave him a shit-eating grin, and Jeremy rolled his eyes, sighing and returning to his task from before. Then, after a beat of silence, Gavin started talking  _ again _ .

“Oh, come off it! You can’t tell me you haven’t stolen  _ anything _ before. I mean, even  _ I’ve _ stolen shit, and I grew up as the crown prince!”

“Yeah, and from what I’ve been told, you were  _ well-known _ to be a little shit.”

“Hey!” Gavin squeaked, but he also made no other attempt to defend himself as he continued, “Come  _ on _ , Lil’ J, I don’t believe you haven’t stolen even  _ one _ little thing your whole life.”

“Listen, I-- Wait,” Jeremy paused, looking back up at Gavin quizzically, “What did you just call me?”

“Lil’ J! It’s a nickname.”

“Yeah, I  _ know _ what it is, just--” Jeremy sighed, turning back to the lock again, “Nevermind. As for stealing things, well…”

Finally, the lock made a soft  _ click _ and the door to Jeremy’s room swung open. A smile spread across his face as he stood, looking up at Gavin with his  _ own _ shit-eating grin.

“What the law doesn’t know can’t be proven.”

\---

After the interaction in the hallway, Gavin had apparently made it his  _ mission _ to learn more about Jeremy, which caused Jeremy to inadvertently learn more about Gavin as well. For instance, when Jeremy told Gavin that he and Matt had been friends for years, Gavin had admitted that he and Michael had been close for a long time as well. 

“‘Course, my dad never knew until Michael went off and proclaimed himself a bloody king and asked me to vouch for him. Geoff was pissed at me for  _ years _ after that, although he’s warmed up to my boi now.”

“Well, that’s good at least. How did you two even meet?”

“Oh! Now that’s--”

“Gavin! There you are!”

Gavin was interrupted by Michael, dressed in what Jeremy recognized to be hunters gear from his kingdom, entering the room. At the time, they were sitting in Gavin’s room, which was covered in various golds and greens. It was obvious that the room used to belong to him prior to his gaining his own kingdom, as there were a  _ lot _ more personal touches to it than both Jeremy and Matt’s rooms. 

“Michael!” Gavin said excitedly “I was just about to tell Jeremy about how we met and became best friends!”

“Oh?” Michael asked, eyeing Jeremy with the same wariness he would’ve likely given a “tamed” predator. “Is that why you forgot that we were supposed to have a lads day?”

Gavin gasped, slapping his forehead. The motion made Jeremy snort slightly, but any other laughter was smothered when Michael gave him yet another wary glance.

“Oh  _ shit _ , I’m an  _ idiot _ . That was  _ today _ ?”

“Yeah, of course it was today! The same day we do it every month!”

“I’m really sorry Michael, it completely slipped my mind! We can still go, right?”

“Yeah, but we need to go like,  _ now _ , otherwise we’re gonna lose the sunlight, and I think we  _ both _ remember what happened last time we stayed out in the wilds after dark.”

Gavin shivered next to Jeremy, absently rubbing his left arm with an expression of pinched concern. Jeremy wanted to ask about it, but with Michael giving him those distrustful looks, he kept his mouth shut.

“Yeah, alright,” Gavin muttered as he stood up. Then, suddenly, a small blip of light appeared over Gavin’s head as he gasped. “Oh! Can we bring Jeremy along?”

“ _ What _ ? Gav, my boi, this is a  _ lads _ day, not a ‘let’s just fuckin’ invite anyone we please’ day.”

“But Jeremy qualifies as a lad! He’s the youngest out of all of us! Plus, he’s  _ wicked _ cool  _ and _ he used to be an adventurer. He even came from your kingdom! He’s almost  _ over-qualified _ for a lads day, c’mon Michael!” 

Michael looked Jeremy up and down a few times, trying to judge whether or not it would be safe to have the younger king along. Jeremy knew how it worked: Michael would be going based off of his instincts, something Jeremy knew a lot about. Instincts were good, and so long as they were well-honed, they hardly ever led one astray. Really, the only place they had a tendency to “bug out” was when dealing with  _ people _ .

After a while, Michael nodded, though he still looked rather reluctant. Jeremy didn’t know if it was because Michael’s instincts couldn’t figure Jeremy out or if it was because of Gavin’s puppy-dog eyes, but whatever the case, Micahel had  _ nodded _ .

“Alright, you can come along, but let me tell you, if you try  _ anything _ \--”

“Michael,” Gavin whined, “ _ Please _ .”

Michael huffed, but decided to discontinue the threat, though it still hung in the air between he and Jeremy. With an awkward cough, Jeremy also stood.

“Alright! Welp, I’m gonna go get my own stuff, and I’ll join you guys…?”

“Castle gate!” Gavin chirped. 

Jeremy gave a thumbs up in response before leaving the room quickly. Whatever “lads day” was, it was certainly going to be…  _ interesting _ .

\---

“So, what exactly  _ is _ lads day, Gavin?” Jeremy asked as the three of them, all dressed in smart, adventure and hunting-friendly clothing, walked towards the treeline. 

Gavin, as usual, was all too happy to give Jeremy the answer.

“Back when Ray was around, he, Michael, and I would all choose a day once a month to muck about in the woods, see if we could cause a ruckus or just have some fun. Hell, we’ve been doin’ it since before Michael  _ or _ Ray were crowned.”

“ _ Wow _ . And you guys never missed a month?”

“Oh, we  _ totally _ did. We missed almost half a year’s worth after I was crowned,” Michael chimed in, startling Jeremy somewhat, seeing as Michael had been pretty silent during their entire trip. “We were actually worried we were drifting apart for a little while…”

“But we didn’t!” Gavin chirped happily, “And we never will!”

“Right,” Michael muttered bitterly, “No thanks to Ryan.”

“ _ Michael _ , you  _ know _ the others don’t like us talking about it.”

“About what?” Jeremy asked “What did Ryan do to Ray?”

Gavin and Michael both stopped dead in their tracks, causing Jeremy to bump into them as they turned on him. Both seemed confused, though there was an underlying tone in Michael’s expression that set Jeremy on edge, even though he couldn’t figure out why.

“You  _ can’t _ be serious.” Gavin said flatly, and when Jeremy just shrugged, Gavin gawked at him in disbelief.

“How the  _ fuck _ \-- You don’t know about the Rose War?” Michael said, raising his voice slightly, though Jeremy could tell he wasn’t  _ quite _ angry yet. “It was literally one of, if not  _ the _ biggest, wars that this land had ever seen until  _ you _ assholes came along.”

Jeremy shifted awkwardly. In the foggy parts of his memory, he  _ did _ recall there being announcements about it, though the details were harder to grasp. They usually were when he thought about the time before he had met Matt. Even  _ thinking _ of things from back then made his skin itch, though, so he cleared his throat.

“Sorry, my memory of back then isn’t…  _ great _ . I had some stuff going on.”

“Yeah, well,” Michael hefted his pack on his shoulder, turning to look at Jeremy. “Point is: Ray’s gone and now lads days are down to just the two of us and whatever sad sap Gavin tries to drag along to fill the void, like  _ you _ .”

The final word was punctuated by Michael jabbing a finger into Jeremy’s chest. Now, Jeremy knew that Michael wasn’t angry at him, or even at Gavin. Jeremy had lost enough people in his life to know grief when he saw it, no matter how old the wound. He knew that, in all likelihood, Michael saw Jeremy as someone occupying the space Ray used to, and it made the older king uncomfortable, Jeremy  _ got _ that, he  _ understood _ it. The problem was, Jeremy wasn’t the kind of person to take that kind of jackassery sitting down, no matter how much he understood. So, as evenly as possible, he took a step back, swallowed his pride, and spoke.

“I get that you’re angry. You lost a friend, I’ve lost  _ dozens _ , I  _ understand _ , but you say that shit again? I’ll kick your  _ ass _ , Michael, I don’t give a  _ fuck _ . I’m not here to fill the void. You want me gone, I’ll go, but don’t play this passive-aggressive ‘oh you forced your way into my friend’s circle’  _ bullshit _ . I don’t play those kinds of games,  _ your majesty _ .”

Several beats of tense silence followed Jeremy’s words, the two kings staring at each other in the eyes, trying to figure out who would back down first. Jeremy could see Michael’s hand slowly reach for his sword, and Jeremy’s hand hit his own hilt in seconds, ready to draw it at a moment’s notice. They were both proud warriors, and both of them knew that backing down was  _ not _ an option. Not unless--

“ _ Lads _ ,” Gavin warned, pulling Michael and Jeremy’s attention towards him. “We’re about to have company  _ very _ soon.”

“What?” Jeremy asked, “How do yo--”

“What  _ kind _ of company, boi?” Michael asked urgently, cutting Jeremy off, “Bandits? Predators? Magic shit?”

Gavin stayed silent for a moment, his eyes unfocusing as he tilted his head, like he was listening to someone. Every so often, Jeremy could hear Gavin mutter to himself in some language he didn’t know. A language that sounded…  _ familiar _ . When Gavin refocused, he looked grave.

“Magic.  _ Old _ magic, Michael.”

“ _ How _ old?”

“They didn’t know  _ how _ old, just that it was  _ old _ . Older than a lot of the old shit we’ve been finding. Hell of a lot darker too, apparently.”

A spike of cold shot through Jeremy’s stomach like an arrow. His skin tingled as Michael and Gavin began talking, trying to figure out just what the  _ hell _ was on its way and whether or not it was worth fighting. To Jeremy, they may as well have been a million miles away, because all he could see was a village, dozens of smiles turning to horrified screams, blood and ash  _ caking _ his hands, his breath shaking and heart pounding as he ran and ran and--

“--emy?” Gavin’s voice pierced through the scene, his hand coming to rest on Jeremy’s shoulder. “Hey, you with us, Lil’ J?”

Jeremy nodded, though in the back of his mind he could still hear the echoes of terrified shouts haunting him. Gavin frowned, obviously unconvinced, but didn’t push the subject further. Instead, he motioned for Michael to come over and began speaking.

“Right, so! Good news and bad news! Good news is that we know  _ exactly _ where this thing is and where it seems to be heading! Bad news is that it’s heading straight for a village nearby and that there wouldn’t be enough time to warn them of their impending doom.”

“Which means it’s up to  _ us _ to stop this thing,” Michael added, “You up for a bit of a ruckus? You can show off the skills that supposedly won you a spot here.”

Jeremy’s head swam. He had a vague notion that he  _ knew _ what that thing was, which gave them an advantage, but the thought of having to face something like that  _ again _ … It made him nauseous.

But, he knew he couldn’t just let that thing rampage and destroy a village. Not like before. Not  _ again _ .

“Yeah,” Jeremy finally managed out, his mouth dry “Let’s hurry.”

\---

Jeremy  _ loved _ fighting. The thrill of a battle well-fought, a victory hard-won, a punch well-timed was better than any other feeling he could’ve asked for. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, desperately forcing him to keep up, to stay  _ alive _ , it reminded him what it felt like to  _ truly _ live.

However, as much as he liked fighting, he found that he did  _ not _ enjoy being grabbed and flung around like a ragdoll. 

They had managed to cut off the thing before it got near the village, and the thing was, in short,  _ fucking huge _ . On first glance, one could’ve mistaken it for a werewolf, seeing as it had a  _ very _ canine appearance, despite its overall  _ human _ build, but as one kept looking at it, the stranger it looked. It’s hide seemed to be made of liquid shadow, swirling and clotting together in various spots across its body. Every so often, a small glimmer of red would shine through, bright crimson that matched the color of the creature’s eyes.

It was Jeremy’s nightmares alive once more, and as the three kings had battled it, it had managed to grab a hold of Jeremy’s ankle, keeping him suspended in the air by it as Gavin and Michael continued to fight it while trying to avoid hitting Jeremy. It was significantly easier for Michael than it was for Gavin, seeing as Michael was using his sword while Gavin was using a bow.

“Woah!” Jeremy exclaimed as an arrow whizzed just a bit  _ too _ close to his ear, “Watch it, Gavin!”

“Sorry, Lil’ J! The bastard keeps moving around too much for me to get a proper shot off it!”

Jeremy made an attempt to lift the upper half of his body up so that he could get a grip on the creature’s hand, make it easier on him to escape, but Gavin was right, it was moving around  _ way _ too much. He could feel liquid seeping into his boot and pants leg, slowly making its way up. Thankfully, he was wearing dark-colored pants, so it wouldn’t stain  _ too _ badly, but the thought of it seeping into him made his skin crawl in revulsion and memory.

If Jeremy could’ve, he would’ve grabbed his sword and slashed the thing’s hand off, but seeing as he had been dangled  _ upside-down _ , both his sword and his  _ crown _ were on the ground below him, sitting there uselessly.

Luckily though, there was still one of them with a sword who could hit things. The creature howled in pain as Michael sliced clean through its left leg, forcing it to release its hold on Jeremy’s ankle. Jeremy managed to tumble as hit the ground before he lunged for his sword, fighting side-by-side with his former king as they brought down the beast, Gavin offering ranged support from behind them. 

One of Gavin’s arrows managed to hit the thing  _ right _ in its eye, and Jeremy only barely managed to pull he and Michael back far enough before the liquid substance splattered all around them, dark clots and smatterings of various shades of red covering the green grass of the forest. In the center of all of it, still as a statue, was a very dead man staring up at the sky with glassed-over eyes. It made Jeremy’s stomach churn, and he heard Gavin gag from somewhere behind where he and Michael ended up landing. Beside him, Michael looked  _ horrified _ .

“What the actual  _ fuck _ was that thing?”

“That,” Jeremy said quietly, making his way to his feet, “Was a Corrupted.”

“A what?” Gavin had come closer now that Jeremy and Michael were on their feet again, the three staring at the scene in front of them.

“A Corrupted. It’s a blood magic thing.”

Jeremy didn’t even have to look at Michael and Gavin to know that they were shocked, probably even horrified. Blood magic wasn’t even  _ legal _ , much less accepted, and the fact that someone had been practicing it  _ that _ close to Geoff’s castle probably cast a heavy weight in the other kings’ stomachs. 

“So, all that red stuff…?” Gavin began, then, after Jeremy nodded, “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“How did it get all the way out here?” Michael asked, and Jeremy couldn’t help the way his breath hitched. 

“More than likely, that guy,” Jeremy pointed out the corpse, as if he could’ve meant anything else, “Tried his hand at blood magic. Bit off more than he could chew. It corrupted him, and instead of  _ him _ controlling the magic, it controlled  _ him _ .”

“How do you know so much about blood magic?”

“It’s…” Jeremy furrowed his brow, sighing, “It’s a long story. Let’s just say it’s not the first time I’ve seen what blood magic can do to a person, how much death it can cause.”

An uneasy silence passed between them as a soft breeze blew through the forest, a shiver rolling up Jeremy’s spine. He looked around at the sight, then, seeing the faint glimmer of gold in the grass, walked forward to pick up his crown again. A few specks of blood had managed to work their way onto the otherwise pristine gold, a rather heavy blot of it on the ametrine in the center. All Jeremy could do was stare at it as his skin itched and buzzed, nothing else feeling quite real enough to focus on. At least, not until there was the soft press of a hand on his shoulder.

He turned around, fully expecting to see Gavin, but instead got a view of  _ Michael _ . Michael and his unreadable face. Then, he was being pulled into a hug, tight and close, and Jeremy couldn’t help but let out a surprised squeak.

“I’m sorry for being an asshole earlier, okay?” Michael said quietly, squeezing ever so slightly before pulling back to look at Jeremy in the eyes as he spoke, “I was just… I miss him, you know? You… I’m just sorry, alright?”

“Yeah,” Jeremy said, then, with a smile, he repeated, “Yeah. I’m sorry, too. I wasn’t exactly making the situation better. Losing people… It sucks. I should’ve known better.”

“Yeah, we both kinda fucked up, didn’t we?” Michael said, returning the smile, “C’mon. If we start heading back now, we should be back to the castle by sundown.”

“I’m so  _ proud _ of you two! Gettin’ along like two peas in a pod, we’re like proper lads again!” Gavin was beaming as he spoke, then, after looking at Michael, grew a bit more nervous. “I mean, if that’s alright with you, Michael.”

Michael looked Jeremy up and down, and Jeremy could feel his gaze linger on the blood-spattered crown for a moment before turning back to Gavin.

“Well boy, looks like we’re back up to three members for lads day.”

Gavin let out a shrill gurgling sound of pure delight, and Jeremy couldn’t help but laugh. Maybe being a king wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaah, nothing can POSSIBLY go wrong!
> 
> next chapter is gonna be matt-focused, with special appearances by fiona and lindsay! also, magic (of the non-blood variety)
> 
> ALSO SHOUTOUT AGAIN TO rebel_raven for beta-ing the chapter! I promise I'll get the dialogue punctuation right on the first try one of these days


	5. Lessons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sometimes u gotta do a bit of a magic lore dump before doing some more Plot
> 
> this chapter was beta-ed by rebel_raven as well! you should totally check out her stuff sometime, it's Quality
> 
> TW: Animal death is mentioned but not shown

Matt, despite having grown up in a kingdom that looked down on any magic that went beyond basic alchemy, liked to think of himself as a pretty decent sorcerer. He could conjure what he needed when it was otherwise unattainable, he could calm and tame an animal better than most, and sometimes he could even sense when magic was being used nearby, though that ability was still a fairly underdeveloped one.

Of course, he knew that people that had grown up in other kingdoms could do magic better than him. Jeremy had told Matt stories of some people only needing to look an animal in the eye to tame it, and  _ everyone _ knew how magic-savvy most people from Gavin’s kingdom were, but Matt was proud of himself for managing to get any sort of magical education in Geoff’s kingdom, albeit a self-education that was absolutely riddled with more holes than Matt knew how to deal with. Regardless, it was enough for Matt, seeing as it kept both he and Jeremy alive during their time together, whether as adventurers or rebellion leaders.

Matt was content with his magic, but that didn’t stop him from sometimes wishing he could learn  _ more _ , especially when he watched other people perform magic.

Take Fiona from Gavin’s kingdom for example: She was a natural at transmutation, illusion, and alteration magic. She was so good that he once watched her convince her own king to eat a bowl of  _ muddy water _ by making look and even smell like a delicious bowl of stew, then  _ actually _ turn it to stew just to fuck with him as she ate it, never once breaking eye contact with her king. It had been one of the most impressive, most horrifying, and most hilarious things Matt had ever witnessed, and it left him wondering just how much further he could take his own magic if he got any proper training on it.

A few days later, he found out he was not the only one with that mindset. 

Matt had been tending to Sugarcube and Timothy in the stables, muttering to them in what  _ sounded _ like normal English to him, but was apparently some “weird magic language” to Jeremy. He had been brushing them, feeding them, comforting them, and was generally so caught up in their care that he hadn’t noticed Fiona and Queen Jones approach him until the latter spoke up.

“Wow, those are some nice horses you got there,” Lindsay said, Matt stumbling away from Sugarcube, startled, “Might want to keep an eye on ‘em. Ryan’s a  _ bit  _ weird when it comes to animals.”

“A  _ bit _ ?” Fiona asked incredulously, and Lindsay let out a laugh.

“Alright, he can get pretty fuckin’ weird, but he’s not  _ always _ weird. Not with horses, at least. Now, if they were  _ cows _ , that’d be a different story.”

“Oh, I know,” Matt cut in, putting away Sugarcube’s brush back into the saddlebag. “Fucker killed two of my other horses back during the revolution. I only managed to keep Sugarcube around this long because the war ended before Ryan could get to him.”

“Definitely keep an eye on him, then. Ryan may have a vendetta.” 

“Will do,” Matt chuckled, giving Sugarcube one last soft pat to the side of his neck before turning to look at the two women. “Now, no offense, but I sincerely doubt you two came over here to talk with me about my horse.”

“You are absolutely right about that, Matt,” Lindsay said before throwing her arm up and around his back, gently steering him out from the stables with Fiona trailing behind. “See, Fiona and I couldn’t help but notice that your magic kinda sucks.”

“Hey! It doesn’t  _ suck _ !”

“It  _ kinda _ sucks, Matt,” Fiona chimed in, “I mean, it’s not  _ bad _ , but it kinda sucks.”

“It’s weak as  _ hell _ , dude. I mean, it might be enough to get you through the day as an adventurer, but I’m telling you now: Nobody’s gonna take you seriously as a knight or lord or whatever the hell you are to Jeremy if your magic is that sucky.”

Matt opened his mouth to clarify that he was Jeremy’s  _ friend _ , not knight or lord or whatever, but Lindsay stopped him by using her free hand to place a finger to his lips in the shushing motion.

“Listen, I know it’s hard to hear after using your magic for so long, but it’s obvious that you’ve never had any real training, which, hey, happens to the best of us, but the people out there?” Lindsay gestured towards the castle gate, indicating the people of the various peoples that were out celebrating The Banquet alongside their kings. “Once they get an opinion, it’s  _ really _ hard to change it. They already think Jeremy’s, well, not super great. They hear you got some weak-ass magic? You’ll be the laughingstock of the nobility. Fiona and I want to help out with that.”

“Why?” Matt asked, then, backtracking, “Not that I’m not grateful, or that I don’t trust you, I mean, I don’t fully trust you, force of habit and all, but-- Why do you  _ care _ ?”

“Matt, my guy,” Fiona said, looking up at him with an eyebrow arched, “You know how hard it is to get  _ tolerated _ in noble circles, much less  _ liked _ ? Lindsay’s been with Michael for  _ years _ now, she’s the fucking  _ queen _ , Matt, and people  _ still _ talk shit about her. I’ve been a lady for months, and I’ve only  _ just _ gotten people to look at me while they’re talking, even with everybody else’s help!”

“I’ve already overheard enough gossip about you and Jeremy because of how you guys got your kingdom. Once that finally dies down, it’s gonna be about how you two used to be regular ol’ adventurers, and who knows  _ what _ after that. You’re gonna get a lot of shit, maybe more than usual, and while the kings help out Jeremy with it, we court-members gotta stick together, you know?”

Matt nodded automatically. It was the same sort of train-of-thought, instinctual sort of thing that had some of older adventurers helping the newbies out; They remembered being in those shoes, and for some of them, nobody had been around to help. Really, it was hard to forget a feeling like that: helpless, scared, frustrated, and even downright hopeless. Even when he and Jeremy started out, all those years ago, they hadn’t had much help at first, and it had been terrifying for the both of them until some ex-guard had finally had enough of watching them struggle and gave them tips and pointers. It was almost reassuring to know that there were at least  _ some _ nobles with the same experiences that were willing to help.

“Great!” Lindsay clapped Matt on the back, forcing him to roughly cough before wheezing in an attempt to get air back into his empty lungs. “First things first: The boring shit. C’mon, we’ll take you to the castle library.”

\---

The library, like many things in relation to the monolith that Geoff called his castle’s main tower, was  _ huge _ . Huge and filled with seemingly endless rows of books, some so old that Matt was worried he was gonna get some long-dead disease from them and some so new that Matt was almost  _ positive _ they hadn’t even been released to the public yet. 

Matt ended up being sat down at a table amongst the older tomes, the smell of leather and old paper permating his senses so thoroughly that he was positive he was going to smell like it later. As he looked at some of the thicker books, Matt began to regret his decision, the urge to decline their offer and face the consequences growing as the size of the books on the shelves did, but he discarded those thoughts with a sigh of relief as Lindsay and Fiona sat in front of him with a normal-sized, novel-length looking book.

“Alright, so,” Fiona clapped her hands together, an excited smile on her face, “First things first, a bit of pretest: Do you know where magic comes from?”

“No.” Matt said automatically. 

Fiona and Lindsay exchanged a glance.

“O-kay,” Fiona continued, “Do you know the difference between older magicks and newer magicks?”

“No.”

“You know anything about magical creatures?”

“Yeah, actually. Some culturally stuff, but mostly just weaknesses,” Matt answered as he scratched the back of his neck, then, seeing the expression on the two ladies faces, “Adventurer, remember? Needed that info for jobs and self-defense.”

“Okay, alright, that’s cool. One last question, and if you answer no I’m probably going to punch you: Do you know the difference between a sorcerer and any other magic-user.”

“I  _ do _ know that one! Sorcerers are born with the ability to use a certain kind of magic naturally without having to learn it while everybody else has to learn how to do it. I mean, sorcerers can learn other types of magic, too, but they’ll always be strongest with the one they were born with.”

“Oh thank  _ fuck _ you knew that one,” Lindsay sighed. “You had me worried for a minute there. No wonder your magic sucks, you don’t know  _ shit _ about it! How could you be a sorcerer and not know  _ anything _ about magic?”

“I grew up in this kingdom with a non-magic family.”

“Oh.” Fiona and Lindsay said simultaneously, followed by the two of them nodding and murmuring things like “that makes sense” and “no wonder”.

“Alright, well, we should probably start with the  _ basic _ basics then, huh?” Fiona asked, opening the book the two of them had brought over. “So, basically, the world as we know it, with all the forests and kingdoms and ocean and shit, is only one version of it.”

“You’ve already lost me.”

“Shit, okay, uh… Alright, so, imagine our world as this book,” Fiona closed the tome in question, holding it horizontally so that Matt could see all the pages on top of each other. “The cover is where we are, hanging out, chillin’ all that sort of stuff. Each page beneath that is another version of it, or another plane of it. There are some populated ones, like the Fae Realm, but for the most part planes are just sorta there, acting as a buffer between our world and the world at the very bottom, or in this case, the back of the book: The Magic Realm.”

“The Magic Realm.” Matt echoed. Something in the back of his mind told him that sounded familiar, though he couldn’t place why.

“Yup!” Lindsay chimed in. “It’s where  _ all _ things magic come from. Creatures, spells, powers, you name it and it likely gets all its power from there. The Magic Realm is  _ super _ dangerous, though, at least to humans. Most magic creatures can go between our world and the Magic Realm pretty easy, like Gavin.”

“That’s so fucking aweso-- Wait, Gavin? I thought he was just a sorcerer.” 

“Oh  _ fuck  _ no. Gavin’s half-wood nymph. Just enough human to be a solar sorcerer and just enough wood nymph to let him talk to trees and have a ticket between the worlds. Lucky bastard.”

Matt blinked. He honestly had no idea that Gavin had been half  _ anything _ , and Gavin had once been the prince of his own home kingdom. Then again, Matt had grown off rather…  _ off-the-grid _ , so it shouldn’t have surprised him that he had never heard the news before, but it still left him somewhat stunned.

“Alright… So, the Magic Realm is where we get magic from, and the creatures can travel between it, that makes sense. If the Magic Realm is so dangerous to us, how are we able to access it? And why are some people born with it?”

“Well, that answer is a bit more… complicated,” Fiona took back over the lesson, opening to book once more to a page, looking over the yellowed paper with her eyebrows furrowed. “Honestly? We don’t know. There are certain parts of our world that are a lot closer to the Magic Realm than others, and they let us sorta soak it up in healthy doses. Certain ingredients, incantations, and rituals can bring magic forwards as well, as long as you’re determined enough. That’s just how it  _ works _ , always has been.”

“Well, sorta,” Lindsay chimed back in, and after a nod to continue from Fiona, Lindsay kept going, “See, older magic-users, the ones that weren’t born with it, usually, didn’t really like not having magic, and a lot of them were  _ really _ impatient to get it. They resorted to practices that are pretty much banned today because of how destructive they are. I’m sure you can probably guess one of them.”

“Blood magic.” Matt’s voice was flat, though he could feel the bile in the back of his throat just  _ thinking _ about the dark magic. 

“Yeah. There were others, of course, but most fell out of practice naturally as safer, stronger methods were found, but blood magic stuck around.”

“But  _ why _ ?” Matt asked, “It’s literally one of the  _ most _ dangerous and self-destructive magicks out there, why the hell would anybody keep practicing it?”

“Because, most of the time, they can’t really help it,” Fiona said quietly, closing the book, “Blood magic… It’s like a drug, basically. People who have done it and survived usually say something like that. They say that the easy thrill they get from it is better than anything they’ve ever had, even sorcerers and other magic-users get swept up in it. The problem is, it’s also a really  _ greedy _ magic, forcing you to give more and more and more until you have nothing left to give just for the  _ feeling _ of that power, that  _ control _ .”

“The only times people manage to control blood magic,” Lindsay added, “As opposed to  _ it _ controlling  _ them _ , they became tyrannical, bloodthirsty warlords. There aren’t many accounts of those times left, but it's safe to say that they were  _ bad _ .”

“Holy shit…” Matt muttered, “But, people have fought it before? Managed to stop doing it, I mean.”

“Yeah, but most of the time they end up as Corrupted, unable to handle the magic’s influence and power over them. Those fuckers are  _ nasty _ , by the way. Michael and I had to deal with a whole cult of them back in the day, it was  _ bad shit _ , man.”

“I-- I can’t imagine it was great, your majesty,” Matt stuttered out, not expecting the sudden tone change, “They sound like the  _ opposite _ of good shit. Like, polar opposite.”

“Trust me, guys: You don’t want to know.”

The lesson went by pretty fast after that, mostly filled with Fiona and Lindsay bouncing off of each other about the different planes and how the different magicks accessed the Magic Realm, and then, at the end, the possibility of making his own connection to it even stronger. That lesson, however, had them leaving the library and dipping into the woods for a short amount of time.

“You’re  _ really _ a sorcerer?” Fiona asked, eyeing Matt up and down, “I mean, I know you were raised in Geoff’s kingdom and all, but even then, your magic should be a  _ lot _ stronger, at least whichever one you were born with.”

“I don’t know,” Matt said, shrugging, “I honestly don’t even remember which magic I was born with. I’ve always just sorta been working on getting them to a point that was useful.”

“Alright,” Lindsay cut it, cracking her knuckles with a wicked gleam in her eyes, “Well, either way, I don’t know about Fiona, but I’m not gonna go easy on you, got that?”

“But I don’t have any training!”

“Yeah? And? When you learn to conjure something to defend yourself with, or convince a woodland critter to help you out, I won’t kick your ass, got it? So you better start to learn quick!”

“I  _ really _ don’t think this is fair.”

“Maybe,” Fiona said, cracking her knuckles as well, “But it’s gonna be fun!”

“Not for me!”

“Oh, don’t be such a baby!” Lindsay exclaimed, creating two bright fireballs in each hand, soon to be thrown at Matt, “I’m not even using  _ hot _ fire, they’re basically just  _ rocks _ !”

“Getting hit with rocks fucking  _ hurts _ !”

“Myatt-rock!” Fiona shouted, hurling a rock at Matt that had him stumbling out of the way on instinct. It hit the ground with a soft  _ poof _ as it disappeared, and while Matt was focused on that, another rock smacked him right upside the head.

“Ow! What the  _ fuck _ ?”

“Shit! Sorry, I was aiming for your chest, I swear!”

“It still would’ve fucking hurt!”

“Oh,  _ please _ ! You were an  _ adventurer _ ! You probably ate worse for  _ break _ \-- Wait.” Lindsay doused her fireballs, crouching behind a line of bushes and motioning for the others to do the same. As Matt and Fiona took their places next to her, their gazes were drawn to what Lindsay had seen: Three figures in the distance, walking towards them slowly. The wind carried their laughter and a few of their words, and Matt realized just who it was.

“Is that… Is that  _ Jeremy _ ? And  _ Michael _ ?”

“Looks like Gavin, too. Must be Lads day. Huh, didn’t even realize it.”

“Lads day?”

“Long story, ask Jeremy about it later.”

Matt raised an eyebrow, but didn’t question it any further. Instead, he stood up and made a beeline for the three kings, ignoring Lindsay’s protests. They must not have been paying attention, because suddenly, Gavin screamed, and a ball of light sprung from his hands, and it began heading straight for Matt.

“Woah! Wai--” Matt tried to cry out, but it was too late as Matt was smacked in the chest with a ball of energy than made every inch of skin on his body tingle, every hair on his arms and legs stand to attention, and his bones turn into lead. Then, he felt himself fall as his world blacked out.

\---

Sometimes, when he dreamt, he’d be falling for hours before he woke up. There would be nothing but inky blackness with flashes of color, random whispers that he could never  _ quite _ catch, and even the occasional brush of…  _ something _ flying past him. He always hated when dreams started that way, it left him disoriented once he woke up in his dream and dizzy when he woke up in the real world. Luck would have it, for once, the falling section of his dream didn’t last long, and within minutes, he was gasping in dust, sitting bolt upright and breathing heavy.

It didn’t take Matt long to realize he wasn’t alone, though, as a tall, twiggy figure stood by him. The same person from the last time he had dreamt like that, back during the night that Jeremy took The Vow.

“Shit,” Gavin said, offering Matt a hand up, an apologetic look on his face, “I was wondering how long it’d take for you to get here. I’m real sorry about that, love, but you were runnin’ at us  _ way _ too fast without any warning! I thought you were a bandit or something.”

Matt blinked, taking Gavin’s hand and allowing himself to be brought to his feet as he wracked his brain to figure out what Gavin was talking about. Then, it all came rushing back, and Matt was, in all honesty, a little bit peeved.

“You could’ve  _ killed _ me! What the fuck!”

“ _ You _ were actin’ like an idiot!”

“Oh,  _ fuck _ you!”

“Fuck you!”

Their very artful bickering was interrupted by a rather harsh splash of magic against the cliff, sounding more like a wet slap than an actual wave. Matt paused for a moment, his anger forgotten as more memories resurfaced from when he was awake.

“Wait,” Matt said, giving his beard a thoughtful stroke, “Okay, hold on, I need to work through something really quick.”

“Take your time.”

“Okay. You’re half-wood nymph, right?”

“Yup.”

“Okay, which means you can travel between planes, or at least, to the Magic Realm. That shit out there, that’s magic. Does that mean that this is--”

“The Magic Realm. Got it in one, good job!” Gavin clapped his hands, apparently genuinely pleased with the fact that Matt had gotten the answer right so quickly. Matt just stared out into the ocean of magic, the gears in his brain wracking together.

“But… I thought-- How am  _ I _ here? I’m a human.”

“Honestly, been tryin’ to figure that out myself! I mean, some sorcerers accidentally pop in every once in a while, but they’ve never actually, you know, come  _ back _ . Meanwhile, you’ve apparently got freaking frequent flyer points! It’s  _ weird _ .”

“What’s fr-- Nevermind. How am I even  _ alive _ ? I thought this place was like, super dangerous to humans.”

“Oh, it is. It’s weird, though. See, I’ve got too much human in me to be here physically, so I’m just sorta a ghost to everyone, but  _ you _ … You’ve got a body in our plane  _ and _ a body here. For some reason, you just sorta…  _ switch _ . When you sleep in our world, you wake up here, then, suddenly, the Magic Realm remembers you’re human, kills you, and you wake up back home. It’s bloody weird, innit?”

“Yeah…” Matt’s hand ghosted his neck, slowly trailing down his chest before he crossed his arms tightly in front of his chest. “Is that not how it… usually works?”

“ _ Hell _ no! I just told you, I can’t physically be here because it’ll kill me! Other full-blooded creatures just hop right on over, body and everything!  _ You _ got something real fucked-up going on. Good news, though! You’re gonna be here longer than usual, so maybe you’ll figure something out!”

“Oh hey, that’s grea--  _ Wait _ ,” Matt squinted at Gavin. “What do you  _ mean _ I’m going to be here longer than usual?”

“Well, that’s the bad news.”

“Gavin, what’s the  _ bad news _ ?”

“Well, see, like I said, I had thought you were a robber or something, so I sent out a bit of magic and--”

“ _ Gavin _ .”

“You’re in a coma. Not for too long! Just about three days or so!”

“ _ What _ ?!” Matt demanded, much more pissed off than before, “You put me in a fucking  _ coma _ ?!”

“Just for a few days, don’t worry!” Gavin assured, but even so, Matt felt his skin  _ crawl _ , like he was trying to conjure something to smack the king with, but was unsuccessful. It was like something was blocking him. More bullshit he didn’t understand.

“Free, when I wake up, so help me--”

“I’m gonna leave you to figure everything out, then! I’m just gonna go and tell Jeremy you’re fine, see ya!” Gavin disappeared in a puff of green and gold smoke, causing Matt to cough and wave away the cloud, annoyed.

“Fuckin’ asshole…” Matt muttered before turning back out to the ocean. It stayed silent, save for the waves splashing against the cliffside, churning within themselves and crashing into one another. “Alright, anybody want to explain what the  _ fuck _ is going on?”

Nothing answered, and as Matt looked back out towards the slowly coming storm, he had a feeling that it was going to be a long three days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy.
> 
> fun fact! ryan knows who matt is, and that he killed this one dude's horse twice during the rebellion, but he has not made the connection that they are the same person. at least, not at the moment.


	6. Old King's Tales

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Mention of past character death

After the debacle with Gavin knocking Matt into a short-term magical coma and the discovery of The Corrupted, Jeremy had been more than ready to lock himself in his room either until Matt woke up or The Banquet was over. With Gavin being a bit skittish around Jeremy and Michael not being able to offer more than a pat on the shoulder and empty assurances, it was likely that he would’ve been able to, had it not been for the other three kings around.

Jeremy had been pacing back and forth again, having already cleaned and polished his crown to an almost concerning degree. He had too much energy to stay in his room and do nothing, but at the time, he didn’t have the  _ mental _ energy to go out, so he was stuck there, pacing in front of the large window until he tired himself out. 

That is, until a knock interrupted his slowly spiraling thoughts, stopping him in his tracks. He waited, and the knocking came again, louder and more insistent the second time around. Jeremy sighed, knowing he wouldn’t be able to ignore it for long.

“It’s open,” Jeremy called out, “Come on in.”

The wooden door slowly creaked open to reveal a pair that, at first glance, looked almost the same, but as they entered and Jeremy got a better look at them both, he realized that there were some distinct differences between the two. One had darker skin, one had a sharper jawline, and, if you looked closely enough, they each had similar but  _ different _ hairstyles. 

“Oh,” Jeremy said quietly, turning his gaze towards the almost infinite horizon, “Hey Trev, ‘Fredo.”

“Your majesty,” Trevor said, and Jeremy didn’t have to turn around to know that the two were bowing, “King Geoff, King Jack, and King Ryan sent us to come get you.”

“What for?” Jeremy asked, turning around to face them.

“I dunno,” Alfredo chimed in, “But it sounded pretty important. They’re waiting in the gardens.”

Jeremy looked at the two taller men warily for a moment before sighing, glancing back towards the window.

“Alright, I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

“Of course, King Jeremy.” Trevor said, and, with another bow from the two of them, they left Jeremy alone in his room once more. 

Jeremy didn’t bother going too fancy, opting for a much more low-key look of a comfortable and comforting yellow peasant shirt with orange pants, the most king-like thing on his entire body being his crown. He honestly looked like he could’ve been a commoner mucking about with a nobleman’s stuff, and the thought made him smile.

He missed the days when that were closer to the truth.

\---

Jeremy, upon entering the gardens, was surprised to see the other kings dressed similarly to him, though it was obvious that their own kingdoms influenced the way they looked.

Geoff probably looked closer to a noble than any of them, wearing brown pants and a dark green shirt with poofy shoulders and tight sleeves, but the front of the shirt was unbuttoned, showing off the undershirt below. Not to mention, Geoff’s crown was only halfway on his head, tilted at an angle that made Jeremy wonder how the dark gold object was even staying there. Overall, Jeremy was  _ fairly _ sure what Geoff was wearing was a scandalous look, but he didn’t care enough about fashion to really know or understand, so he left it alone. 

Jack, meanwhile, looked a bit closer to Jeremy. He was wearing a loose-fitting, light green peasant shirt, the sleeves managing to almost remind Jeremy of the sleeves on a monk’s robes. The pants underneath were also a brown, just like Geoff’s, though unlike Geoff, Jack’s crown was fit neatly on his head. The way Jack held himself was open and inviting, but there was still an air of authority around him that told Jeremy that he was the one in charge of things where he came from, and that fact was not easily forgotten.

Then there was Ryan, who was dressed, well, it was probably casual in regards to how his kingdom saw it. Compared to his normal regal gear, with a large red and cowskin cape, tuxedo top and jacket, and kilt, it certainly seemed at least a bit more mundane. Ryan had ditched the cape and jacket entirely, though he still wore the white dress shirt, the sleeves of which were rolled up to his elbows, and the top few buttons were undone. He still wore the kilt, though, but the one thing that  _ really _ struck Jeremy was the fact that Ryan was the only one not wearing his crown.

All-in-all, Jeremy wasn’t the  _ only _ one rocking the “how do you do, fellow peasants” look, and he felt a bit better about that, even as Geoff scrunched up his nose as Jeremy approached.

“Jeremy,” Geoff said, “I know you’re the new king and all, and we gotta be diplomatic and shit, but the actual  _ fuck _ is wrong with your eyes.”

“I dunno what you mean,” Jeremy said, grinning, “I think I look damn fine in this outfit.”

“No offense, but you look like a sunset threw up on you.” Ryan said, causing the other kings to laugh. 

“Yeah, yeah, okay, whatever you say buddy,” Geoff finally managed, coming down from absolute unintelligible wheezing to small fits of giggling, “C’mon. We figured you got to hang out with the Lads, it’s high time you got to hang out with the Gents.”

“The Gents?”

“Nicknames Gavin came up with,” Jack explained, “Back when he was a prince, even before Michael became a king, though I think it  _ was _ after Ryan got his Vow.”

Ryan nodded in confirmation, and soon after, the four kings began walking around the gardens. The elder three began pointing out various plants from various kingdoms, talking about which ones they liked to grow, which ones processed best, and which ones certain chickens liked more. To most, it may have come as a bit of a culture shock, but Jeremy had been to all their kingdoms on more than one occasion, and knew their aesthetics rather well.

Geoff’s kingdom with its rustic simplicity and styles, it was the place went for chickens and calm, not to mention what some of the chickens had been bred to create. It was honestly impressive, and somewhat broke from the tradition of pure simplicity, but Jeremy supposed it was simple in its own way, as there still wasn’t really any magic involved: just breeding and feeding.

Jack’s kingdom was a lot like Geoff’s, in some ways, but there was much more technology in various areas, as well as more of a cooperative spirit at work. Where’s Geoff’s kingdom was all about pulling oneself up from the muck and making a name for themselves, Jack’s kingdom was all about helping one another and building up the kingdom together. It was a beautiful sort of thing, one that Jeremy always looked forward to seeing. 

Then, there was Ryan’s kingdom, with their factories and power plants and skyscrapers and other things that Jeremy wasn’t even sure he had ever gotten a name for. Advertisements for implants and robots and all manner of things were absolutely everywhere, and Jeremy had through about getting a few on more than one occasion, but he also knew that, like magic, technology like that came at a price, and Jeremy wasn’t sure he was willing to pay it.

Jeremy saw merit in all the ways the kingdoms ran, and having met the kings themselves, he understood why things were the way they were, but that didn’t excuse the flaws that they had all become negligent to: Stagnation, ostracization, and, last but not least, the sacrifice of  _ ethics _ for  _ progress _ . 

Things that Jeremy was determined to not allow within his own kingdom.

“--Do you think, Jeremy?” Jack’s voice tore Jeremy from his thoughts, causing the younger king to snap his attention towards the others. 

“Sorry, spaced out a bit there,” Jeremy said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, “What do I think about what?”

“Bit of storytime from us old farts,” Geoff said, lounging out on a bench in one of the pathways, “Give you some advice, help you figure some stuff out. Whatever questions you have, we’ll answer.”

“Seriously? Just like that?”

“Yup. Just like that.”

“Listen,” Ryan said, “Just because you kicked our asses during the war doesn’t mean we’re not willing to help a newer king out. We try to actually learn from the mistakes of our past, here.”

“Some more than others…” Jeremy heard Jack mutter, and if Ryan or Geoff heard it too, they didn’t react. Instead, Jack took a seat on the edge of the bench that Geoff was lounging on while Ryan continued to stand by a hedge filled with various flowers, the man known as “The Mad King” idly shifting through them. 

“Alright,” Jeremy started, slowly sitting on the bench across from the three older men, “So Geoff, why did you let the other kings take land from you to start their own stuff? From what I know about history, the rebellion was the first time a war actually needed to be fought in order to like, jumpstart a kingdom.”

“Honestly?” Geoff asked, sighing, “First one to ask was Ryan. Ryan was all like ‘ooo, you think science is evil and that’s dumb and you’re dumb, I want to start a kingdom so I can show you how dumb you are’, and I was like. Alright. Fuck it. Have fun with your land, asshole. After Ryan took his vow, Ray was like ‘hey, I want a kingdom because I think we need change, too, but not in the way that Ryan thinks’, so I was like fuck it, you know? Then Michael came outta fuckin’ nowhere saying he was Mogar, King of The Wilds, Guardian of Nature, all that shit, so I was like… Alright, not gonna deal with that, take the land--”

“Wait,” Jeremy cut Geoff off, “So, you’re telling me that you gave away land and Vows because you  _ didn’t want to deal with them _ ?”

“For the most part, yeah,” Geoff replied, “‘Course, after the Rose War, it was a bit different. Gavin got a kingdom because he was kinda promised one, and I wasn’t about to keel over anytime soon, and Jack got his because I knew I could trust him with it. After that, I didn’t have a lot of land left to give, and then your little rebellion started up in  _ every _ kingdom, so we didn’t have much of a choice.”

“Huh…” Jeremy leaned back, processing what he had just heard, trying to formulate his next question. Then, one part of the conversation popped out, echoing with Michael’s voice, and Jeremy couldn’t stop himself from asking, “You mentioned the Rose War. What exactly…  _ was _ that?”

There was dead silence, all three kings going stock still for a moment, Geoff and Jack just  _ staring _ at Jeremy in disbelief. 

“What do you  _ mean _ \-- You don’t know what the Rose War was? You were  _ definitely _ alive during it, how did--”

“I was going through some stuff,” Jeremy snapped defensively, his skin tingling, “Just… Answer the question.”

“The Rose War was… a bit of a dark patch,” Jack started slowly, glancing at Ryan as the crownless king continued looking through the flowers on the hedge, “Your war was the first one for a new kingdom, but it wasn’t the first one we’ve seen.”

“Ryan went fuckin’  _ crazy _ with his tech,” Geoff cut in, earning a slight glare from Jack, “He thought he the ultimate being or some shit, said that  _ he _ should be in charge of the kingdoms. Michael’s kingdom was too new to fight back, and I didn’t really know how to fight against it, but Ray… Ray was willing to.”

“Ryan wasn’t exactly about that, so he waged war against Ray and his kingdom, and he won,” Jack said quietly, looking down at his hands, “Ryan--”

“I broke my vow, doing that,” Ryan finally spoke up, startling all three of the other kings, “I set the entire land back, dragged everyone into chaos and fear in a hasty attempt to make myself  _ better _ . I killed Ray, and I won, but I  _ lost _ .”

“The crack…” Jeremy muttered, “It’s a different color than the rest of your crown.”

“When it cracked, I realized what I had been doing, what I had  _ done _ , and it felt awful,” Ryan muttered, slowly pulling and plucking a red rose from the depths of the other flowers, “I had to re-forge my crown, make a new vow to repair the old one. I might be ‘The Mad King’, Jeremy, but I made a vow to do better, and I’d be  _ damned _ if I did everything to keep myself from going down that path again.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means Ryan let you guys win,” Geoff said, “It’s why most of the land he took from Ray belongs to you now, because  _ he  _ was the one to convince us that you all deserved it. Well, him and the fact that we were starting to get our asses kicked.”

Jeremy took a moment to swallow that information, staring at Ryan as the older king stared down at the red rose, remorse swallowing his ocean-blue eyes. It was…  _ sad _ .

“I… I gotta admit, I’m a bit surprised,” Jeremy finally managed, “Given the way you all fought up until the end, I honestly thought you all would’ve hated me. Or, at the very least, resented me a bit. Especially  _ you _ , Ryan, with the way you kept targeting Matt and I--”

“Wait,  _ Matt _ ?” Ryan asked, eyebrow quirked up in confusion, “What did I do to  _ Matt _ ?”

“You killed his horses, dude. Appleseed and Butterscotch, or whatever the hell he named them,” Jeremy had to stifle a laugh at the way Ryan’s face paled, “Oh my  _ god _ , you had  _ no idea _ , did you?”

“I mean, I knew I killed a guy’s horses a couple of times, but I had  _ no idea _ they were  _ Matt’s _ !”

Jack and Geoff were  _ wheezing _ with laughter, and Jeremy wasn’t far behind as Ryan spluttered and floundered, trying to find words to defend his lack of recognition but flubbing each time the attempt was made. The tonal whiplash was almost completely unnoticed, but Jeremy’s laughter died down as the rose from Ryan’s hand hit the floor, a few of its delicate petals hitting the stone ground.

Jeremy’s skin itched, but he took a deep breath and pulled his eyes away from the bright red spots on the ground, offering a wide smile to cover his discomfort. Luckily for him, it wasn’t needed for long, as he could hear Gavin and Michael rushing towards the rest of the kings, shouting to get their attention before skidding to a stop, breathless.

“Jeremy, it’s Matt--” Gavin gasped out, “He’s-- He’s awake.”

“What?” Jeremy asked, all but jumping out of his seat, “I thought you said it’d be at  _ least _ three days, it’s barely been two.”

“I  _ know _ , but--” Gavin suddenly clammed up, a hesitant expression crossing his face before he continued, “He’s awake now, and he’s asking for you.”

Jeremy gave a glance back towards the gents, who simply motioned for Jeremy to leave, and, happily, Jeremy made a beeline straight for his friend’s room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'd like to apologize to ray fans everywhere
> 
> beta-ed by: rebel_raven
> 
> tumblr: fandom-trash224


	7. Festival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was fighting me every step of the way while i was writing it, but! here it is!
> 
> minor warning for a character experiencing some pretty severe nausea and a brief reference to vomiting

Deep down, Jeremy knew that this was probably a bad idea. 

“Hey, don’t worry,” Matt reassured him for the millionth time, evidently noticing the way Jeremy kept adjusting various parts of his disguise, “Listen man, worst comes to worst, we have to go back to the castle. You’re a  _ king _ , dude. Nobody’s gonna fuck with you in public.”

“Yeah…” Jeremy muttered, shifting his cloth mask up higher against his nose, “But still, I’ve got a bad feeling about it.”

“Oh come  _ on _ ! You said that before coming to the kingdom, and nothing bad happened!”

“You were  _ literally _ put into a coma, Matt.”

“And I got better, didn’t I?”

Jeremy rolled his eyes half-heartedly. It was true, a lot of  _ good _ things had happened, but there was still the situation with Matt, and not to mention the blood mage that he and the other Lads had encountered. Just thinking of it made his skin crawl. 

“Oh hey!” Matt exclaimed, pulling Jeremy from his troubled thoughts with a pointed finger, “There it is!”

“There’s  _ what _ ?” Jeremy asked, following Matt’s pointing to a seemingly inconspicuous cart with a moderately long line.

“That doughnut cart I saw, back when I was younger!  _ Man _ , I heard they  _ still _ have the best ones in the city.”

“You wanna buy one, don’t you?”

“I’ll be like, two minutes.”

“Just go,” Jeremy said, giving Matt a playful push, “I’ll be here, even when you get diabetes.”

Matt flipped him off, but quickly joined the line as Jeremy stood off to the side of the crowd, content to watch the hustle and bustle of the various people from various kingdoms mingle. It reminded him of his own kingdom, a patchwork of culture and belief unified under a single banner. However, unlike the people there, his was a permanent affair. Hopefully.

“Hey bud,” A nasally, familiar voice called out, “You able to spare a coin to some adventurers so they can grab a pint?”

Internally, Jeremy swore, but on the outside he simply nodded, refusing to look at the three adventurers as he plopped a couple golden coins into a pair of gloved hands. He had hoped they would’ve just fucked off, seen he didn’t want to be bothered, or that at least Matt would be back by then, but those hopes were dashed as they stood there.

“ _ Jeremy _ ?” The nasally one asked, at least having the decency to drop his voice to a hushed whisper, “That you?”

“Pubert,” Jeremy replied, pitching his voice in a slightly different way than his usual speech, “Thought you hated The Banquet, what’re you doing here?”

“What are  _ you _ doing here? I thought royalty was meant to stay in the castle, look all pretty as they boss their people around.”

“Oh  _ fuck _ off, Pubert,” Jeremy snapped, glaring at the dark-haired ex-noble, “You know damn well I’m not like them.”

“Coulda fooled me, with the way you’ve been holed up in your castle,” Pubert waved away the other people with him, a couple of younger faces that Jeremy didn’t recognize. “Rumor has it you’re even starting to get all buddy-buddy with them. Didn’t realize all it took was a fancy new crown to start corruption.”

“It’s called  _ diplomacy _ , you dipshit. You should learn about it sometime.”

“Oh  _ please _ , as if you or any of those other fucks know  _ anything _ about that. I mean, after all, how’d you get your crown again?”

“By fighting for the  _ people _ , Pubert. You know, I didn’t  _ ask _ for this--”

“Oh, of  _ course _ not. You didn’t ask for the castles or the servants or the  _ stolen _ land--”

“Ryan’s got  _ enough _ guilt about that, Pubert. People like you don’t need to keep dredging it up,  _ especially _ since he’s working on being better.”

“Oh  _ stars above _ ! You’ve really gone  _ native _ , haven’t you? You really think he’s  _ apologetic _ ?”

“I  _ know _ he is. Trust me.”

“Sorry,  _ your majesty _ ,” Pubert spat the hushed words at Jeremy, venom infused in every one as the adventurer’s face contorted into rage, “But I have a hard time trusting royalty nowadays,  _ especially _ those who are so buddy-buddy for a man who hasn’t paid  _ nearly _ enough for his actions.”

“Why are you  _ here _ , Pubert?” Jeremy asked, unflinching even as the taller man began inch into his personal bubble, “I imagine it wasn’t to get drunk and spit in my face.”

“I’m here for a  _ good _ reason, Jeremy. You’re not privy to it, I’m afraid, but just know this: We  _ all _ get what we deserve in the end.”

Jeremy’s nerves suddenly shot to high-alert, a sick feeling moving out from his stomach to the rest of his body, the distant bad feeling blooming into almost full-blown sickness. Before he had the chance to question Pubert further, the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps caught Jeremy’s attention.

“Oh, hey Pubert,” Matt interjected, a fresh doughnut in either hand, “Is there a problem here?”

“So what if there is?”

“Well,” Matt handed off a doughnut to Jeremy, smiling  _ too _ politely, his tone strained with how calm it was as he spoke, “If there’s a problem, I  _ highly _ suggest you deal with it in some other way, because that guy right there is not only my boss, but my  _ friend _ , and lemme tell you… I would do some pretty crazy shit to keep him safe. You know what I mean?”

Pubert glared between Matt and Jeremy, before an unsteady serenity passed over his face.

“Of  _ course _ . My  _ sincerest  _ apologies, Matt. I’ll be going now, but be sure to watch your friend  _ closely _ . You never know when someone is about to go missing.”

And with that, Pubert disappeared into the crowd, something he was always rather good at. Matt gave Jeremy a look of mild concern, but Jeremy waved it off. He still couldn’t shake that sick feeling he had, like all his instincts were telling him that something horrible was finally on the precipice of occuring. Matt must’ve picked up on it, because the taller man gave Jeremy a firm pat on the back.

“C’mon, let’s not let one asshole ruin our time here. There’s a tavern here in town that’s only open during the festival, wanna go check it out?”

\---

Jeremy still remembered when he first met Pubert, just a week after he and Matt had been full inducted into the guild. Pubert had been friendly enough, a bit of a bum sometimes, but they had never had any issues. It was actually Pubert who had sent Jeremy down the path of revolution, always talking about how awful the nobility and royalty was, people nodding along and tacking on their own stories that were all eerily similar to things Matt and Jeremy had experienced.

Meeting Pubert that day at the festival, though? Jeremy wasn’t sure  _ what _ to think, but he was  _ positive _ that he felt sick.

“When the fuck did Pubert become such a  _ dick _ ?” Matt asked, knocking back another shot of whatever the hell it was they were drinking in the private back room of the tavern, “I mean, he was always a bit of an asshole, but come  _ on _ ! It’s not  _ your _ fault they wanted you to be a king, I mean, what did he  _ think _ would happen?”

“I dunno,” Jeremy said, though his voice was hollow as his mind wandered, “I know a lot of people weren’t happy about the treaty.”

“That’s the thing! Like, okay, I get it. We all hated the nobility and the royalty, I’ve still got problems with some of the stuff they do, but what did they  _ think _ ? That we’d keep fighting until all the kingdoms were destroyed and try to figure something out then?  _ Fuck _ that! Most of the people who got angry about us getting our own kingdom were people who didn’t even fight.”

“Like Pubert.”

“Like  _ fucking _ Pubert. Coward got  _ one _ glimpse of an opposing army and ran off. He’s lucky we didn’t brand him a traitor!”

“That’s not how we work, Matt.”

“I  _ know _ it’s not, Jeremy. He’s  _ lucky _ it’s not how we work.”

They fell into silence after that, simply drinking and thinking, though Matt would occasionally try to start up another conversation that inevitably failed. Eventually, though, Jeremy sighed.

“I did all this to change things, Matt. I agreed to become the king because I decided I would be  _ different _ , but… What if I end up just like the others?”

“How d’ya mean?” Matt slurred, and Jeremy knew the guy was fucking  _ sloshed _ , but hopefully that only meant that they wouldn’t have to bring up the conversation again.

“Like… They’re not bad people! They’re not bad rulers, either, they’re just… Misguided. They’ve made mistakes, they all know it, and they acknowledge it, but they’re all stuck in their ways, their traditions. They think they know what’s best, and forget that their people may have a different opinion sometimes, you know?”

“Yeah…” Matt said quietly, “Geoff’s not keen on magic, and when you’re a sorcerer born in his kingdom…”

“Exactly! I’m supposed to be The People’s King, but what if I forget that? What if I start ruling for so long, I forget who I’m meant to be? What if I break my vow one day, and not even realize it until it’s too late and I have to repair it?”

The two men sat in silence for a minute, digesting Jeremy’s fears, and not for the first time. There had been a lot of discussions about it back during the war, even before Jeremy had been declared the king. Jeremy knew he shouldn’t doubt himself so much, but he couldn’t help it, especially when it wasn’t just  _ him _ doubting his abilities.

“Listen man, I don’t know what the fuck Pubes said to you, but I’ve known you for how long now? I saw you at your lowest point, and you’ve worked hard to get where you are now, and I know you’re gonna  _ keep _ working hard to do good. So, you’re gonna be  _ fine _ , Jeremy.”

“Thanks, Matt. I appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it. You can repay me by buying me more drinks.”

“Sorry man, I’m gonna cut you off before you pass out and I have to carry you back to the castle.”

“Fine,” Matt muttered, pouting as he finished off his last drink, “The least you could do is give me a pass on the masquerade ball tomorrow night.”

“Sorry man. If I gotta go, you gotta go too.” Jeremy joked, though at the thought of the ball, he felt his nausea spike again. Something was  _ wrong _ .

_ The ball… What Pubert said… His vendetta against royalty… _

“Jeremy?” Matt asked, snapping his fingers and bringing Jeremy back, “You good?”

Jeremy shook his head, keeping his breathing even and slow so he wouldn’t hork up anything he had eaten that day. He felt like he was about to have a breakthrough, but it set every inch of his nerves on edge to the point where he felt like he was about to be overloaded. Matt must’ve noticed, because he suddenly seemed a lot more sober than he had been before.

“I think it’s time we got back home.” Matt said seriously, helping Jeremy stand after he pulled his mask back on, “We’ll talk more later.”

Jeremy knew they would, he only hoped he could figure out what was going on by then.

\---

Jeremy woke up with a gasp, his skin crawling and covered with a thin but uncomfortable layer of sweat. He rubbed his face, practically scrubbing it as he glanced around his darkened room, the screaming echoes of his nightmare already fading into the back of his mind. His hands were shaking, and he suddenly found he had way too much energy to sleep any more that night.

_ No matter what you give, it will never be enough. _

The phrase repeated itself like a mantra, over and over and over, and though Jeremy didn’t  _ quite _ know the context, he knew enough about his own dreams and nightmares to know it wasn’t anything good. His nausea had finally subsided, allowing him to breathe a bit easier, but even as the adrenaline from his nightmare was flushed from his system, his nerves were on fire. 

Something was going to happen, and Jeremy didn’t know how to stop it, or if he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> check me out on tumblr!
> 
> fandom-trash224.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> catch me on tumblr: fandom-trash224.tumblr.com


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